


A vacation for Steven

by orphan_account



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Marriage, Smut, Spoilers for Episode: s05e23-24 Reunited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-05 06:32:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15164720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After all of the new revelations, Steven really needs some time off to think about his feelings, like Amethyst wanted him to. So, he visits one of his best friends, who understands his problems, but isn't a gem.





	1. What's your problem?

**Author's Note:**

> I'll really try to make this a more or less happy story this time, I promise! :)
> 
> Edit: Aaaand I failed!
> 
> Edit 2: I think, I actually rescued it!

Currently, Steven was sitting on the edge of his bed and watched Amethyst play some game of his. He didn't want to play as well, he was too disturbed. They had managed to make Ruby and Sapphire  make up somewhat, even if they agreed to not fuse for a while until they calmed down more. Everything seemed to be fine for now, at least a stranger could assume that.

Unconsciously, he rubbed over the gem hidden beneath his shirt. Amethyst had been right. He wasn't alright. He felt horrible for being Pink Diamond! He knew the diamonds; they were nothing like him! They were cold, ruthless and mean. They didn't care for others like he did. But he couldn't tell the others of his worries and troubled mind. He had to be strong for them! If he wasn't, _no_ _one_ would... 

Unknown to him, Amethyst had regarded him while playing her game. Steven frowned and looked kind of sad, she noted. But what was she supposed to do? He had admitted his true feelings  _somewhat,_ but how could she help him? The others would be better at this than her, but they were all so...  _fidgety, too preoccupied with themselves._ She could talk to him, but it didn't seem to help much. He only became defensive and assured her of being ok. Maybe she should send him to Connie! She could help him. She wasn't too involved in this, but knew, what Steven was talking about!

"You know...You kinda look worried. Maybe you should get out some? Like, meet some of the humans? I don't think, that staying with only gems will help you. I suggest going to Connie," she proudly proposed her idea to him.

He turned around, sitting cross-legged on the bed in front of his  _sister_. "Speaking to someone else would be nice, I guess...I just- do you think, I should leave you alone like that? I need to help you and there is also the risk of Homeworld invading us. If they come, I'm the only one, who has got a chance at stopping them," he pondered. It was too dangerous for him to go. His family was so very unstable right now and if the diamonds came... he would have to sacrifice himself in hopes of rescuing earth.

"Steven, I told you to put yourself first for a while. Really, we'll manage. Or rather,  _I'll_ manage. I can keep them together and I don't think, that we will be attacked," she assured him. Stars, their little gem was so  _stubborn_. Maybe she would have to force a vacation on him.

"But... _Still_! I don't want to go to Connie. I like her a lot, but she would pester me endlessly about everything. It would only make me more upset and stressed. And the other humans don't understand. There is dad, but I don't know, whether he knows of mom being PD. I can't bear breaking his heart or something. Also, Peridot and Lapis are out of the question as well for obvious reasons," he sighed in distress. There was no escape to this situation. Even if he wanted to go away for a while, there was no where  _to go_   _to_. And being alone was no option, either.

Stars... he  _was kind of right_. No one could give him, what he needed. Maybe she should hire a therapist for him? That's something humans did, right? But no, Steven wouldn't like that, she assumed. He needed someone familiar and not a stranger! Think Amethyst..., she thought. Who else was there, who wasn't too human, but also not too involved in any of this? Perhaps that pinkish boy? Steven liked him and he wasn't a  _complete_  human. Also, he should know a bit of gem-culture. Perfect! She exclaimed "What about the pink boy? He has been back home for two days or so now, he should have time for you!"

He blushed " O-oh, you mean Lars? I don't know... I would only annoy him." And also, he had a crush bigger than Mt. Everest on him. An  _unrequited_  one at that, he was sure! It would only make him more depressed being with him. Steven had more or less ignored his friend, since his arrival because of it. He had greeted him, of course, but abandoned him shortly after.

What was that? "Uuuuh~ why are you blushing, hm?" she pried. Could it be her little friend liked that Lars a bit more than usual? 

"I-it's nothing! I just... he doesn't really like me that much, you know? Once he has become accustomed to Beach City again and his friends, he will avoid me and make fun of me again. He wouldn't want me at his house...,"he stammered. Just the thought of being rejected by Lars openly made him want to cry beneath the covers of his bed. 

Amethyst must have seen his depression about the matter, as she said, " No way! I'm sure he likes you,  _everybody does_! He's just stupid o-or shy!"

"He might like me as a friend, yeah... but that's about it," he murmured. Ugh, maybe he should just throw her out and hide in his bed for real now. The diamonds attacking and shattering him seemed somewhat attractive right now...

She chuckled and smirked at him. Cooing, she interrupted him " When you talk like that, it almost sounds as if you were in love with him~." 

He averted his eyes, tearing up slowly, but surely. He shouted at her "And what if I am? It's useless anyway- l-like everything here! He doesn't like me back! And it doesn't even matter, as there are more important things than my feelings right now, Amethyst!  _I don't matter._ " Why was she so keen on  _helping him_? She should help herself and the others! Their problems were far more important. His problems were stupid!

Quickly, she grasped for Steven's wrist, as he wanted to stand up. " _Steven_! You matter more than anything! Nothing is more important, than making you happy. I didn't mean to make fun of you! If you love him, that's perfect! And trust me, I'm sure, that he loves you back. How could he not? Just don't say negative things like that, ok?" she comforted her trembling  _brother,_ while patting his back.

"Y-You think so? But you hardly know him...", he sobbed. What if she was right, though? Maybe there was still some hope for him? He shouldn't have lashed out at her like that, perhaps. He just felt so confused and overwhelmed by everything. He had bottled up all his worries for a while now and now they seemed to resurface again. He just couldn't help himself, but cry in Amethyst's arms.

"Pah! Even without knowing him, I'm positive he does.  _Everybody does_. And after what you've done for him, he will like you even more. Now, go to him or message him first and have a few days of vacation!" she exclaimed optimistically. Maybe she really was  _mature_! She had solved an issue! She was such a good sister.

"T-text him? No! I don't think I can, Amethyst. Not like this," he pleaded, while a few tiny tears were still running down his face. He was far too anxious to talk to Lars and explain him, why he wanted to come over. 

"Well, then  _I do it~_ Hehe," she giggled, while shoving Steven aside and running towards the kitchen. His phone lay on the counter and she grabbed it quickly, while Steven tried to catch up, demanding her to stop. At first she shapeshifted to something really tall, but Steven floated up and wanted to grab the phone. However, she was faster and bubbled herself, making it impossible for Steven to disturb her texting. Well, he could break the bubble, but she doubted he was in a state of mind, where he could achieve it.

"Amethyst, no! Please don't- I- I'll do it myself!" he begged, while punching the bubble desperately. She would ruin it! Did she even know, how to write? Stars, no...

She scrolled down through Steven's contacts and soon found Lars, but "Really? You've put hearts around his name?  _You are really cute_...," she laughed at him. She tapped the icon, that said " ♡Lars♡" and opened an app to text him. Meanwhile, Steven whined in terror and doubled his efforts at  _destroying_ the bubble. 

Amethyst, having finished her work proudly, read it to Steven and  imitated his voice "Hey Lars! Can I visit you for a few days? I need to get away from my dumb family for a while, they are  _super_ annoying. Also, we haven't seen each other in so long,  _I miss you_. It would be really  _cool_  to spend some time with you. -Steven."

"That doesn't sound like me at all! I would never call you dumb... Also, why did you add the 'I miss you'? That sounds horrible!" he went on whining. Now, he had zero chances at winning Lars over! He would die a virgin  _or something_. When she popped the bubble and gave him his phone back, he angrily punched her in the side, making her fly a few meters. He really had gotten strong over the past few weeks.

"You'll thank me later, Steven. And also, it sounds like you. Maybe I should have made you sound even more desperate, though. Damn it- I should have told him of your crush! That would have been funny... Anyway, now we'll wait for an answer", she grinned evilly at him, while he ran to his bed and hid himself there. Stupid Amethyst...Lars would never text him back! He was far too cool for that. 

It was already pretty late, when Steven decided to emerge from his fortress of solitude,  _his be_ _d_ , again. He had become hungry and sneaked into the kitchen to get some food out of the fridge. Amethyst lay on the couch, doing  _nothing_. But in reality, she was waiting. Had Steven been right? Maybe that Lars really was an idiot and wouldn't text back. She would kill him for hurting her bro like that.

Suddenly though, as Steven had sat down at the counter, his phone rang. "Amethyst! What do I do now? He's calling me!" Steven called in shock. 

"...Speak to him? Or should  _I_ do it again?" she joked at him. Why was he so complicated all of a sudden? He was never this shy, usually. He really must be in love with that guy. Stars, please let the pink human return Steven's feelings. The diamond would be devastated, if he didn't.

Nervously, he answered the phone. "U-uh... Hi Lars", he greeted him, almost dying of an heart-attack. Lars would tell him to leave him alone now. "Hey! I was a bit surprised at seeing that message, but sure you can visit me! You could have just come over, Steven," Lars answered his request right away. 

W-what? He really could? "And I won't be a bother? I know you've just came home and all...," he wanted to know, but Lars added "No, you won't. It's the least I can do, for everything you did and my parents are ok with it, too. Really, it might even help  _me_ , if you visit us. Uh... My parents are still really concerned and stuff and don't believe me, when I explain them, what happened to me and say, that I'm alright. Also, it would be nice to spend time with you..."

"O-ok, then. I'll come over soon, see you," Steven awkwardly added and hung up. He turned towards his gem-friend." I can go to him! I can't believe it...," he whispered.

"Pff-  _I told you!_ " she brushed him off. She regarded Steven, who shoved the rest of his food into his mouth fast and then proceeded to run up his stairs and pack his things into his hamburger-bag excitedly. He looked so happy- she had succeeded! The others would never believe her.

After a while, he had finished his packing and ran down again and up to her, hugging her tight. "Thank you- And you are sure, you'll be ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, 'course we will. Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do. Also, keep me informed. I want to know everything!" she reminded him. She had to know, whether he felt happy and how the relationship to Lars developed. Steven nodded agreeingly and stormed out of the door, making his way to Lars' home. 


	2. Anticipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars' side and what happened since his arrival.

Being home was very weird to Lars. It really shouldn't-  _home_ should feel better than that. His parents had been so relieved to see him, as had the others. He had only met a few people like Sadie and the Cool Kids and mainly stayed here for now. He didn't want to hurt his parents by going away all the time after all and the others had _hurt_ him. His mom and dad had cried a lot at first and almost hugged him to ~~his~~   ~~second~~ death. They didn't even give him the chance to say and  _explain_ anything at first.

They knew he died, but they had wanted to know even more about it. Asking him, how it felt and also, if he had been safe on his journey home afterwards. He had told them, that he was fine and everything, but they hadn't seemed very convinced. And all of that had only been the first day! He went up to his room afterwards, as it had been already pretty late and decided to sleep. He had had no need to do so, but it was nice to. Also, he had wanted to calm down for a while.

Right now, it was early Sunday morning and he awoke from a dream, which mainly consisted of endless pink landscapes. At least he didn't have any nightmares no longer. Before his death, he often had horrible dreams of falling out teeth, being chased by demons and many more such things. Nowadays, all he could dream of was  _pink_. He assumed it was because of Steven and he really didn't mind that much. Well, to be fair, there were better colors...

Anyways, he stood up and went to his bathroom to shower. It was more of  a habit than anything- he didn't get dirty anyway. He couldn't sweat and he was capable of avoiding other dirt. Still, showering felt nice, mainly because it was so  _warm_. He wasn't  _freezing_  per se, but he still felt slightly too cold for his own comfort. So, he totally couldn't help himself and enjoyed the warm water running down his skin. Also, he didn't mind smelling good, either. He just smelled like  _nothing_ after months spend with only rocks.

He stepped out of the shower and regarded himself in the mirror, before drying his hair. Hopefully there wasn't water in his little pocket dimension now. Steven wouldn't approve. He really hoped the latter would come visit him soon. He had greeted him after his landing, but he had been so out of character. His joy only seemed like it wasn't sincere and afterwards, he had quickly vanished. Normally he would have had expected his gem to stay way longer. It was really confusing to him. Maybe he had  _misinterpreted_  something? He had thought he and Steven  _had something_. Like they had some kind of chemistry. But maybe that changed? Perhaps Steven was already together with somebody else? Connie, probably...

He sighed sadly, while finishing his hair and dressing completely, putting on his cloak. He didn't wear his gloves- they were way too unhandy, but the cloak was a must! He would never  _not_ wear it. Well ok, maybe for certain things he couldn't, but this would be his new look. When he exited the door of his room, he could already smell food and went down to the kitchen. Oh stars... His mom had apparently prepared a gigantic breakfast for him with his favorite food. But, even if he appreciated it,  _it was too much_... He could eat, but not a lot. His body couldn't handle so much after months of having an empty stomach. He couldn't even eat a whole pizza any longer. 

Smiling, he sat down at his old place. He had decided to be nicer to his parents. He knew he had been a rather bad child, but now he would make his parents happy! He had almost lost them, or rather, they had almost lost  _him_...

His dad, who was also already sitting at the table, greeted him "Good morning, Laramie! You are up rather early, too!".

"Uh, hi dad. Yeah, I don't really need that much sleep anymore, so that's why," he explained, while looking at his mom, who had come over with  _even more_ scrambled eggs for him. "Mom... I really love you for cooking for me, but I can't eat  _all_ of that. I haven't eaten in months; I think my stomach shrank or something," he warned her. Hopefully, this wouldn't upset her.

"Oh... It's alright, honey. Just eat what you can. Your father will gladly eat the rest," she beamed at him. Did her son just say, he loved her? Oh stars! He hadn't said that, since he was nine, thinking it wasn't hip enough.  She sat down as well, taking some of the food, while watching her son eat in silence. She assumed the conversation "So... what have you planned for today?"

"Nothing, really. Honestly, I just want to stay here for a bit," he admitted.

His father looked up at him "Son, maybe you should meet Sadie and learn together with her. You need to go to school prepared tomorrow." Lars had already been failing school- if he got any worse...

"Uh... I don't really  _intend_ on going back to school, dad," Lars said. Had his dad really thought that? Why would he, after all that has happened? He was involved in something bigger now! He too, was an enemy of the diamonds after stealing from Yellow Diamond. He couldn't go back to the way it was.

Dante frowned " _You don't intend to_? Laramie, you can't just stop going to school. It's important! How else will you get a job later?" His son couldn't be serious. He knew, he disliked school greatly, but he had to see as well, that this was irresponsible.

"I don't want to go there, not after what happened. Dad,  _I'm undead_ and deeply involved with gem-stuff. Also, what job would ever make me happy? I want to help the Crystal Gems in protecting earth, possibly as their captain. I mean, I  _own_ a space ship and a crew!" he explained. He even hoped Steven would make him part of the team. If he was thought how to fight, he could be of use. That is, if Steven even liked him any longer...

It kind of made his mom worried and proud at the same time. "Lars, I'm glad you want to help your friends, but don't you think it's too dangerous? You already died once..." she sighed in sadness. 

"I know, but don't worry. As long as Steven is there, I can be revived," Lars simply stated. But maybe Steven didn't even want him to be resurrected?

"That Steven-boy... are you friends now? He's a bit young, to be honest," his dad inquired. Really, he wanted to know something  _else_ , but didn't have it in him to ask. Did his son fancy boys...? He had seen him hug Steven yesterday and it looked very... _heartfelt._

Lars blushed a deeper shade of pink and smiled shyly:" He- we are friends, yes. I don't mind him being a bit younger. In reality, his gem is thousands of years old. Also, if he wanted to, he could shapeshift into something, that looked older." He saw his parents regarding him closely.

His mom's smile began widening at her son's blushing "Hm...  _I think_ , there is more going on between you two." She hoped she hadn't crossed a line with that. She loved her son, but he was sometimes so very insecure and easily hurt.

He averted his eyes "Uh... E-Even  _if_ I had feelings for him  _like that_ , he surely wouldn't return them. He's probably together with Connie Maheswaran. You know, the daughter of that one doctor at the hospital." He was pretty sure of it. They even had fused... Steven never even mentioned fusing with him!

"Laramie, do you... are you  _gay_?" his dad irritatedly asked. He had never shown any  _signs_ of it.

Was his dad against it? Should he lie? He worriedly looked at them, but he saw his mother smiling and his dad  _a bit,_ too. "Uuuh... I am, yes," he blushed again. He was glad to be undead, he would otherwise sweat from this.

His mom grasped his hand, beaming at him full of joy "That's wonderful! And I'm sure, this Steven likes you as well. He seemed like a nice boy, when I saw him." She was so happy for her son!

His dad added "Yes, I think so, too. But the boy's family is a bit weird..." 

"T-thanks... But really, I don't think he does. He won't even talk to me anymore. And his visits on my ship became very rare as well," he admitted, sad of it himself. He loved Steven, he had admitted that to himself long ago. His goofy, lovable personality, his gem... all of it was perfect! And he couldn't have it...

Worried, his dad patted his shoulder "Maybe he's just shy  _like you_. You didn't seem to be very fond of him before either. Give him some time, in the end, they always call. And if not, you can just visit him yourself." He didn't like seeing his son like this. Honestly, he had always hoped him to marry Sadie, but the Universe boy was also alright.

~~Later~~

While he was sitting in the living room and watching a film with his family, his dad had a sudden realization. "Oh! Son, I have something for you. When you were taken away, we found your phone a few days later! You surely want it back!" he said while leaving the room to get it. "We even charged it!" Dante added, while activating the phone and giving it to Lars, who thanked him.

As it turned on, he almost immediately got a thousand messages. Most of them asked, where he went. Also, on the day he was taken, his friends had desperately texted him to find him... Still, there was a very new one as well- from Steven? He read it. Steven missed him and wanted to visit him for a few days?! It couldn't be. Dumbly, he smiled at the text. Of course he could come over- oh, well, maybe he should ask his parents first. "Uh, can Steven stay with us for a few days? He has got some fight going on with his family," he  explained.

Dante's wife smiled "Why not? I'd like to get to know him! See Lars, you didn't need to worry at all."

She ruffled through his hair, to his dismay. He had spend so much time on making it look good! He blushed yet again "Thanks and  _please_ , don't embarrass me or tell him, that I like him."

"We would never!" she promised. Afterwards, he dialed Steven's number, telling him it was alright to come over. His mom went on "Did he say, what the fight was about or how long he'll stay?"

"No, but it surely is about gems, like always. I guess he'll stay a week or so," he added. The longer, the better...

Dante chuckled "And where will he sleep? In  _your_ bed?" He knew, this would embarrass his son, but he was just too adorable, when he became upset like that. 

"D-DAD! No! ...I don't know where. Well, uh, he could take my bed, I guess- I don't have to sleep, after all. But I don't think, he would like to have me  _in it_  as well," he gasped in shock, at his father's  _scandalous_  proposal.

"We'll see about that. I'll give you...hm...  _two days_ , then you are together. Just, uh,  _be careful_ , ok? You know, diseases and such-," his father went on to his terror.

"T-two days?! I- I don't even... Please stop. And I don't think Steven is even  _able of_  getting ill. Also, he's  _14_! Who would he have gotten any from- this is just...," he trailed off. Why was his dad like that? But... that really made him think. Had Steven...? Did he even  _know_ , how to have sex? He was so sweet and innocent, he doubted it greatly. Great, now he just felt wrong for loving Steven. Three years wasn't that much, but in their age-group it was. If he slept with Steven, wouldn't Lars force him into it? He didn't know...

"I'll give them  _one day_ , love. The winner has to buy pizza for everyone. And Lars, you never know!" his mom exclaimed, laughing.

"M-mom, you as well?  How could you?" Lars wanted to know. Everyone was against him it seemed. He had enough and stormed to his room in agony. Please, don't let them do this in front of the gem, he thought.


	3. Confession-Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven arrives and needs to be comforted by his friend

He trotted through Beach City, while avoiding the others. It was pretty late and even quite cold outside. Maybe he should have packed warmer things? Normally Beach City was always sunny, but there were times, when it became chilly and dark as well. When he reached his destination, he quickly rang the bell, not wanting to freeze any more. He heard footsteps approaching fast- perhaps Lars? When the door was opened, his assumptions was proven to be right. Before him stood his crush in his usual attire, smirking at him. "Uh- Hi!" Steven tried to sound happy for him. 

Lars could see through Steven's lies right away, seeing his false smile. He decided to change that in taking a step forward and embracing Steven "Hey...You don't look so good," he murmured into the gem's hair. Steven was really  _cold_ as well. He almost had Lars' temperature- that shouldn't have been! "You are freezing! Let's go inside," he added at that.

Being hugged by his crush really did something to him. It made his hurt disappear momentarily and feel secure. Sadly enough it didn't last forever. "Thanks. Yeah, I'm kind of cold. It's the weather's fault!" he weakly diverted the attention from his well-being. He followed Lars into the house, seeing his parent's standing in the hallway, grinning at him. Why...? "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Barriga. Thank you, that I can stay here for a while," he greeted them. He felt tired, hurt and sad. Really, it was as if all his bottled-up feelings were washing over him at once. They welcomed him and then he felt his friend pulling at his arm, leading him to his room.

In there, Lars showed him where to put his stuff and closed the door. "So, uh, if you want to, you can sleep in my bed. I don't have to sleep anyway. But I could also go and get another mattress for the floor or you could take the couch. It's your choice," Lars explained to him.

"It doesn't bother you, if I sleep in your bed? And even if you don't have to sleep, you might want to," Steven inquired. He did not want to bother his crush too much.

"Nah, it's alright and if I want to, I'll just- uh, share it with you. It's big enough anyway," he laughed awkwardly. That didn't sound  _wrong_ at all... Now, Steven only stood in the middle of his room, still looking all kinds of unhappy. Also, he was shaking. "Are you still cold?" Lars asked worriedly. 

"Y-yeah... But I'll warm up soon. I don't have a choice anyway. I forgot to pack warmer things...," he admitted, ashamed of himself. Why was he so idiotic? And of all people, in front of his crush?

The zombie was having none of it. His crush wouldn't freeze here and get sick. He went over to his drawer and pulled out a black hoodie with a skull on it and threw it towards Steven. "No way I'll let you catch a cold, Steven. You'll make my parents ill! Wear that," he demanded. His friend looked really surprised, but put on the pullover anyway. He had only worn his red t-shirt, no wonder he had been cold. When he had the hoodie on, he smiled. He looked really small in it and really  _cute_ as well. Stars... maybe he shouldn't have given him that. Now his mind and body had gotten  _ideas_ from it...

This was awesome! Lars' clothes were really warm and soft for something, that was meant to look scary. It also smelled like him. Instantly, he felt better! 

"So... what is going on with your family right now? Something bad?" Lars asked, while sitting on his bed and leaning against the wall, while patting the space next to him. Steven immediately came over as well and sat across from Lars at the other end, cross-legged. Hm, he had hoped, that he would come closer.

Steven began fiddling with the hem of his sleeve "I-It is very,  _very_ complicated. Can you promise me to not get mad?", he insecurely asked. Lars nodded. "Well... I don't even know where to start. First of, I am not _the_ Rose Quartz. I am...  _Pink Diamond_. She hid it from all of us- the whole shattering was just a lie. She only poofed and with Pearl's help, she could get away with it. And, yeah, you can imagine, why my family is going crazy now perhaps...," he explained. He wasn't even able to look Lars in the eyes. He would surely tell him to go now. Lars was an enemy of the Diamond Authority as well... he would hate him or be scared of him now! He began tearing up again at the thought of that.

"Pink Diamond...? But- that's crazy! I don't even-," the pirate began stuttering. That would mean, that everything about Steven changed! The diamond's were supposed to be  _evil_. He was dumbfounded, but when he saw tears streaming down his crush's face, he knew he had fucked up. Quickly, he crawled towards the diamond and hugged him tight. "I'm so sorry- I didn't mean to upset you more. Don't cry- I like you all the same, I promise!" Lars begged him to stop weeping. 

He still liked him? He- he liked him at all? It was too much much for him; all that stress from the past few days had taken it's toll on him. He let himself sink more into Lars' hug, who then proceeded to stroke his back and sides. 

"Hey... don't worry, everything will be alright! You are still Steven and everybody likes you. It doesn't matter, what gem you have. If at all, it gives us more chances in dealing with the other diamonds," Lars went on comforting.

While sobbing, he doubted "You really think so? But- I'm a monster! I- I started a war- so many people died for nothing- I..."

The zombie held him even closer, nuzzling his hair "No, you did not. That was your  _mom_ , Steven. Even if you have her gem, it does not make you her. Regardless of what the gems say!" 

"You are just saying that, because you think you owe me something...," Steven whispered. He must have! How could anyone be okay with it? His family surely wasn't!

Lars pried the diamond away from him softly, making him look up at him. Did he really think that? He took Steven's face into his hands:" Stars, no! Any reasonable person would say so. You are  _perfect_ Steven. You never hurt anyone. Now, hush, don't cry. Really, you could ask anyone in Beach City and they'd say you are a good person. None of this is your fault, trust me", he whispered, while stroking away a few tears. 

Weakly, the diamond smiled at him:" Thank you...It's just, my family became so mad- How could they not? Technically, I'm their worst enemy," he admitted, but his crush shook his head. 

Lars shoved the hoodie up a bit, revealing Steven's gem. He prodded a bit at it "So, I don't see you being a diamond. You just look like always. Maybe they are simply wrong?" he doubted. It looked like a Rose Quartz.

Steven chuckled at that "No, regrettably not. It's just turned to the side. If I changed it, you'd see". Still, Lars kept touching his gem. Pearl would have surely scolded him for letting Lars touch him this  _inappropriately._ It was unheard of. Gems only did this to lovers or very good friends, as it was dangerous.

"Hm... can you show me?" Lars curiously asked. He wanted to see so bad and also wanted to distract his friend.

The latter answered:" Uh... sure. Just give me a sec. I'm not so good at shapeshifting, as you surely remember."  He watched his crush, as his form became all light for a second, almost scaring the living hell out of him. But soon enough, he looked relatively normal again, just with his gem turned.

"It looks very pretty!" Lars admitted out loud, without really meaning to.

"T-thanks," Steven blushed, as the pirate's hand were on him again. The other boy was blushing, too, though. "You know," Steven began confessing "It's not entirely appropriate to touch a gem's gem." Immediately, Lars stopped to his regret.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know!" Lars stammered. Had he just sexually harassed the younger boy? Stars... He kind of  _was desperate,_ but not  _that_ much!

"Don't worry! It's just a thing only lovers or best friends do. After all, you could just rip it out and poof me. But I like you, so you can do it  _in private_. If you do it in front of Pearl or the others, they might try to off you," Steven chuckled at Lars. He could see him blushing in a deep pink. 

The zombie began poking at it again- he was kind of  _drawn to it_... no, obsessed was a better word. "Uh, is it normal, that I can't stop touching it?" he admitted. He'd better ask him, before this was some bad thing. Well, he didn't feel bad exactly for touching it, now, that he knew he was allowed to, but obsessing over it could not be healthy, either.

"What? Why can't you stop?" Steven pried further.

"Yeah, like... I don't know- please don't laugh, ok?I feel like I need to  _protect_ it," he elaborated, while still being transfixed on the gem. 

"Oh... Pearl warned me of that, when she found out about me reviving you and it kind of makes more sense now with me being a diamond. There is a possibility, that you are like a gem now, that I _own_. You feel like protecting me, because you really  _have to_. Some kind of magic will force you into obedience. Maybe turning my gem triggered it? I'm sorry, Lars," he prepared himself to be shouted at. His crush surely would not like being his.

This seemed to make him stop "So... I am your slave now?" he whispered in fear. He didn't want to be a slave, even if he trusted Steven greatly. He wanted to be free! What if he had to obey him now, like some kind of butler? He could not stay like that for all of his life...

"No you aren't! You aren't like a Pearl, you see. But, uh, as I said, you still  _belong_  to me in a way. For example, someone living under a king on his land technically  _belongs_ to him. I can't change that, sorry. But it doesn't really matter, as we aren't on Homeworld. If we were there, it would mean, that you would have to stay in my court, but I doubt, you would want to join the other diamond's anyway," he shrugged. 

"Do you plan on going there?" he was worriedly asked.

"Perhaps. I'll wait and see, what happens. If the diamonds attack, I might have to surrender myself...," he admitted his plan. 

"Not again...But- if you go, promise me, you'll take me with you! I don't want to leave you alone," Lars began pleading again. 

Why would he want that? Was it his free will or just because of him being a Diamond? Perhaps Lars really did feel for him? He regarded his crush, who had his hand resting on his gem. He nodded and promised to take him with him. Happily, he was hugged by the older boy, which made him cheer up as well. Before he could ask however, why he wanted to come as well, they heard the Barrigas call them down for dinner.

Lars smiled at him "We better go, or else my mom will get angry- you don't want to see her like that, trust me! And Steven-  _thank you_ for everything, ok?" And he really meant everything. The resurrection, healing him, being his best friend,... 

"No- I thank  _you_  for listening to me!" Steven chuckled, while hugging Lars again, who had already stood up. What he didn't expect however, was a kiss to his forehead and an even wider smile by the pirate, who then started to blush and run down the stairs. Had he just...? There was no time to wonder about his friend's weird behavior, as his stomach began making angry noises, wanting him to eat. So, he went down the stairs as well and into the kitchen, remembering the house's layout from possessing Lars once. The table was filled with food- he hadn't been cooked for like that in ages. He mainly did it himself nowadays, as the gems weren't really good at it. He appreciated them trying, but they didn't know, what tasted well and what did not.

He sat down next to Lars, who was trying to hide his smile a bit. Why was he grinning like that? Was it because of him? He kind of hoped it was. Also, he hoped Lars wanted to sleep as well tonight. Then he might be able to secretly cuddle his friend, pretending he was sleeping. He began blushing at the thoughts, that arose. Images of being held by his bigger friend, feeling secure... But no, that would never happen. Still, just sleeping in  _his_ bed was  _wonderful_. His hoodie had been great already! 

"So, Steven," he was shook from his thoughts from Mr. Barriga "I'm happy to get to know you finally! Lars has told us  _so much_ of you already, but it's just not the same as talking to you in person. Mind telling us a bit about yourself?" Dante knew by Lars' look, that he was hating him right now for saying that one little detail, but he was just too cute. Also, he  _really_ wanted to learn more about his son's little crush. He looked very innocent and  _young_. More like a child to be honest, but he didn't mind much. If his son liked him, it must have been a good young man.

While shoveling food onto his plate, Steven introduced himself "He did? Well, I am half-gem and half-human, also, I am a Pink Diamond. There is no higher rank than that in gem culture. I have lots of magic abilities and such. Uh... I like video games, food and especially cookie cats. Aaand... I like my friends and family a lot, too! That's about it." 

Lars stared at him in shock. He just casually mentioned being a diamond after crying about it before? And then he went on like nothing happened? Steven saw Lars staring and frowning at him and quickly said to him "What's wrong?"

"I didn't think, you would tell them about your gem. It's not like they would know or find out anyway. Before, you seemed quite unhappy with it," Lars went on to admit slowly, hoping not to upset anyone.

"Oh, yes. But you yourself told me it wasn't a bad thing... so, uh- I thought I'd show you, that you convinced me? Also, it would come out eventually," Steven explained to him. Had he messed up already? He thought, Lars would appreciate this. But maybe he was right... Should he not have said it? He didn't know...

Mrs. Barriga interrupted their confused banter:" Oh, so that's why you are here? But I don't really understand- why is this a bad thing?" Being high ranked seemed to be a good thing to her. Why would Steven have been upset about it? 

Steven explained it to them "It isn't  _bad_ per se. And it is the reason I'm here, yes. You see, my family didn't know I was a Diamond and it is a problem, because they fought against them. In fact, they thought, they had killed Pink. But, my mom had lied to us... all of it was wrong. And when this came out a few days ago, everyone went crazy about it. I just had to get away from them for a while, even if they calmed down now." How often would he have to repeat this? This awful story would be told over and over again...

"That seems pretty heavy. Being told, you're someone else all of a sudden... I'm sorry," Dante mentioned. For such a little boy, he had a lot of problems.

Weakly, Steven smiled at him, while poking the food with his fork "Thanks... but it's more or less alright now. Lars convinced me, that it isn't my fault and I think he's right. I mean, I wasn't even born back then. Still, I am the one who has to make things right again and I don't know how yet. Also, thank you for letting me stay here. I couldn't stand being around the others anymore." 

Their son had? They were both equally surprised at that. Normally, Laramie didn't care much for others. But he seemed to have changed... Lars' mother ruffled through Lars' hair, as he was sitting near her. She gladly stated "It's alright, Steven. We know you are a friend of Lars, so you are welcome here. Also, we can't thank  _you_ enough for bringing him back- we would have lost him, if you did not!" Really, Universe had done something, which they could never hope to repay. He saved their only child...

Disapprovingly, Lars did a sound akin to a growl and swatted her had away. When Steven wanted to say something, Lars cut him off. He knew, Steven would assume his guilt-trip, thinking, Lars' death was his fault again. "Yeah, I'm  _very thankful_  for that as well; it would have sucked to be dead," he intently exclaimed, while locking eyes with his crush. The latter blushed at that, not being able to cope with all of the praise, which he thought, wasn't justified. When he wanted to tell Lars, he was wrong, a hand was lain on top of his sweater, right where his gem was. Accusingly, Lars held up one finger and threatened him:" Don't even dare to say otherwise, Steven! I'll poof you!" Afterwards, he leaned back and ate his small portion of  the dinner.

Poof? What was that supposed to mean? Was that some kind of secret teenager-slang? Dante hoped it wasn't something  _filthy_ or hurtful. Now however, he had noticed something else:" Why are you wearing one of my son's hoodies?" he inquired, at which he saw Steven blush again. Had he  _already_ lost their bet? 

Lars casually explained "He was cold and forgot to pack something warm; typical, if you ask me. And I don't really need it that much myself." Also, he was excited to see his crush wearing his things and perhaps taking on his smell. And, Steven looked really adorable in it as well...

"But honey, that's is your favorite one!" his mom exclaimed. It really was; Laramie wore it as much as he could, if it wasn't too warm. He must really love his little friend to allow him to have it.

"Yeah, but I favor these things now, so it's alright," Lars simply explained. It wasn't really a lie either; he didn't want to take of his uniform. But really, making Steven wear that and smell like him, was his main motivation. Oh stars... maybe he should not think about this too much- he felt himself becoming a bit  _excited_ at it. Awkwardly, he changed his position, hiding the bulge in his pants. He would have to take care of it later. Normally, something like that would not happen to him, but this was  _Steven_. Adorable, innocent and silly Steven... Really, he had this happen  _all the time_ , when thinking about his crush. He felt really sick for it, too. If the diamond saw this, he would have become scared, as he was too innocent. 

Steven subconsciously buried himself deeper into the softness of Lars' pullover. If he could, he would never take it off again, but Lars would surely become suspicious.  When they finished their meal, Dante asked:" What are your plans for tonight, hm? There isn't a lot to do on a Sunday evening."

Questioningly, Steven regarded Lars. He didn't really care, what they did, as long as he could spend time with his friend and be close. "Hm... we could watch a horror movie- there came out a new one, while I was gone, which I really wanted to see," Lars proposed. 

"A-a horror movie...?", the diamond scaredly asked. He wasn't really into that stuff. It made him afraid far too much! Especially Lars' films. He had seen one once and had begun silently crying after ten minutes of it, before excusing himself and going home to hide. He had fought lots of monsters himself, but movies were worse than that!

"Yeah! Zombie Slasher IV! It is supposedly the scariest film of this century. It's gonna be super sick; I waited for it sooo long, too. But if you don't want to, I could watch it with Sadie, I guess," Lars added. He didn't much care for the film. He  _knew_ it scared Steven a lot-  _that was the point_! And then, when Steven feared for his life, he would shift closer to Lars and he would hug him- perfect! Also, his poor crush might be too scared to sleep alone and ask Lars to  _protect_ him.

"N-no! I'll watch it! I'm not some kind of  _baby_ , I've fought mutated gem-monsters before. The movie can't be that scary!" Steven quickly agreed to it, when hearing the name of Sadie. No way he would let her do that! She was his rival! After all, the pirate really liked her a lot- maybe even more than him! 

Evilly, Lars smiled "Let's go up then- you'll love it. I'm sure." Meanwhile his parents smirked as well, having seen through Lars' plan. Dante had done similar things to his wife, it was only natural Laramie would, too. Poor Steven- it would scar him for life.  _They_ feared their son's movies as well. Even for adults, they were too gruesome. 


	4. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars and Steven watch a movie together- but things don't go as planned...

While Steven stood uselessly in the room, Lars arranged half a ton of pillows in front of his TV, so they would be comfy. Afterwards, he lowered the blinds of his windows and only put on a small light near his bed- this had to be as scary, but also as  _romantic_ , as possible! Steven almost wanted to ask, if the lights could stay on, but did not. He would  **not** admit to being scared so easily! He crept towards the pillows and sat down on them, while hugging his legs. Lars meanwhile vanished for a while and when he got back, he brought popcorn and lots of other sweet stuff. It was mainly for Steven- he couldn't eat that much, after all. Then, he went to his TV and put on the film. 

While a few logos were displayed on the screen, he teased "Ready? Or are you scared already?"

"I'm not afraid! I'm not a child any longer...," Steven stubbornly murmured. He wouldn't give in that easily, would he? What was he thinking- this was  _Steven_. He would come running to him in no time. And it would be so sweet; then he would have an excuse to hug him more. 

The films intro was a bit lame- not as scary as promised. It showed a normal family with two children, a boy and a girl. They went on some kind of vacation in a tropical country, having fun and the teenaged girl found a potential boyfriend. It became increasingly scary however,  when zombies were shown attacking people in town. Their attacks were rather graphic; showing blood and a lot more.

Still, as Lars put his attention on Steven, he looked fine. He sat there and ate popcorn. When he noticed Lars watching him, he asked aggressively:" What? I'm not scared! I've seen worse!". Quickly, Lars started watching the movie again. Had he been wrong? Maybe, he should have thought of another plan. Clearly, Steven wasn't that scared. But perhaps there would come scarier things? He hadn't seen the movie himself. Ironically, he personally sided with the zombies. They were  _sentient like him_ , not those dumb zombies, that were usually shown. However, the humans attacked them anyway, thinking, they were evil. He felt kind of bad for it.

Later, the family had been split up and the girl's love interest hadn't been seen in a while. While she desperately searched for him, her family wanted to flee and almost dragged her with them. But she ran away into the town, searching for her friend, which took forever. The diamond shook his head "He's dead anyway! Those zombies must have killed him."

Lars disagreed there "I don't think so. I predict she will get hurt herself and the boy will rescue her." 

It went on, alternating between the girl's and the family's p.o.v., showing her searching endlessly, while the family searched for her in return. Maybe this movie had been hyped too much, Lars thought. It was not as good as promised, or as scary. Steven wasn't cuddling him yet after all! Finally, the girl found the boy, who had been  _turned_. Lars had at first assumed, this would be it-  _a happy ending_. But his hopes were destroyed, as the girl lashed out and wanted to kill her friend,  _so he wouldn't suffer_. It seemed, that the film was far from over. The p.o.v. changed now to the boy, who desperately fought for survival. Still, after a wild chase, he was trapped. He begged for his life, trying to explain, that he was still  _himself_ and not mindless, but she didn't listen. Instead, she killed him. Afterwards, she went on to flee with her family.

At the end, diamond exclaimed "That wasn't so scary at all. But the end was cool! I'm glad it was a happy end, with them fleeing and stuff. But the zombies will surely invade other places as well, so they won't be safe after all. Perhaps, the  humans will win in the next part? That would be nice-." He stopped talking however, when he saw Lars sulking silently. "Is something wrong?" the diamond asked. He was most likely disappointed, because Steven hadn't behaved as expected.

 _Is something wrong_? In addition to  Steven not cuddling with him-  **everything was**. "The movie was stupid! Why did they kill the zombies- they didn't do anything wrong! Also, that girl was super crazy- she killed her friend! How on earth can you say, that was a happy end?" Lars lashed out at him. It wasn't fair to kill them! 

"Huh? She wanted to help him with that! She wanted to end his suffering-," Steven began explaining. Why was he so aggressive? This was just a movie. He knew, Lars loved these movies, but that was going  a bit too far perhaps. Even if he thought, it would end differently, he should not have been this angry. 

"E-end his suffering?! Steven, do you even know, what you are saying there? T-they weren't mindless monsters...," Lars said, while his voice wavered. 

"But still, they attacked the humans-," he added, but was interrupted by an upset Lars, who had backed away from him "You don't understand! S-Steven... they were just  _like me_! A-and you are telling me, it's  **fucking** _noble_ , to kill them off? I don't even-." How could his crush say that? He was just like them! He also was undead, but had a clear mind. Would Steven do that to him? Did he regret reviving him? Maybe he really was a  _monster_...

Stars- he hadn't even thought of that! But how could he have known, Lars would take a movie personally? But knowing it now made him feel totally awful for saying that. It only became worse, when he saw, Lars had backed away from him and had tears streaming down his face. "L-Lars- I didn't mean it like that! This is just a movie.  I wouldn't say that to  _you,_ " Steven defended himself.

"But you did! Saying that about the movie is no different from telling me that! You think my _suffering_ should be ended and I should be killed...," Lars sobbed. He had thought, at least Steven would understand and  _accept him_ \- even if no one else did. 

"No! I don't want you to-  _to die_! Why would I? You are a great friend a-and you aren't any different from before-," the diamond tried to convince him to no avail, while getting closer.

Lars meanwhile, crept further back, hitting the wall "You are lying! I'm **completely** different! I look different and I even changed my personality! You are just like everyone else! You- you don't even like me, do you? Stars- I should have know this... of course even  _you_ would be against me." 

"Lars, what are you talking about? Of course, I like you and so does everyone else!", Steven exclaimed, while having reached Lars. He carefully embraced him, half expecting to be punched, but nothing like that happened. His crush only began crying more, it seemed. Still, he hugged back and held Steven close."Please, talk to me Lars! Why are you saying these things? " Steven begged him. Had someone hurt his friend and that's why he was so... _insecure_ about being a zombie? He really shouldn't get this mad at something silly like that. 

At first, Lars couldn't do anything, but hold his diamond close. But slowly, he calmed down a bit, maybe Steven wasn't lying? He whimpered "I'm sorry... I'm so  **fucking** dumb... I should not have shouted at you..." Steven was nothing like his  _other friends_. He had overreacted...

"You don't have to apologize, just tell me, where this is coming from," Steven demanded again. 

"You know, not everything since my arrival has been great. I... I already met Sadie and a few of my other friends. They didn't take my zombiefication so well. They joked about my color and made some other really shitty jokes. Saying, that I would eat their brains now o-or, that they would call Ronaldo to  _hunt me down_. I know, they didn't mean it, but still... it  _hurt_ so much, that they joked about my death like that. They also said, that another death wouldn't matter so much, as you could just resurrect me again. Some people from my year in school however, weren't  _even joking_. They were straight up telling me, to  _stay away,_ because I would  _infect_ them... A-and my parents- they outright  _ignore_ me being undead half of the time. I can't do this anymore!" Lars confessed his feelings to his friend. The pirate was a horrible friend; Steven was here, to be consoled himself!

"Lars...", Steven began comforting him, while the other boy had started crying again "Just ignore them, ok? I think you look fabulous in  _my colors_ and you being a zombie is super cool! Don't listen to their dumb jokes and  _threats_. Trust me, if they do that again, _I'll make them sorry_. You are perfect like this and I like you  _a lot_. I'm sorry, I said that stuff before. I didn't realize this would hurt you. But trust me, I would  **never** hurt you or say, you don't deserve to live." He went on hugging his space-pirate, caressing his hair and waiting for a reaction.

"W-what would you even do against them...," Lars silently doubted.

"I would abuse my powers in more ways than one, let's put it like that... Now, that movie really was stupid. Let's do something else," the diamond cooed at him. 

Lars nodded, but admitted in shame "I don't want to do anything- I... can you just  _stay with me_?"

"Oh, uh, of course I can. But maybe we should go to your bed; that's better than the floor," Steven adviced, while standing up and pulling Lars up as well. The other boy reluctantly followed. Seeing Steven climb into his bed, he unbuttoned his cloak and put it away, before joining him as well. The diamond held out his arms, inviting him into an embrace, which he gladly took. However, he had to chuckle at the absurdity of it. His original plan had been, for him to comfort Steven, not the other way around! His head was pressed up into Steven's chest, while the latter put the blanket on top of him. He began hugging back, preventing any escape from Steven's side. He curled up to the younger boy, feeling really secure now.

This was perhaps a bit weird, but the diamond enjoyed it nevertheless. He stroked up and down Lars' back slowly, meaning to calm him down even more. How could the others have hurt him so bad? He didn't deserve this. They must have seen, that they hurt Lars. Yet again, this was  _Lars_. He never showed his hurt and just played it cool, pretending everything was alright.

"Steven, I'm so sorry, I'm putting you through this. I know you came here, so you could relax a bit...now I've messed it up again," the zombie whispered into Steven's chest.

The diamond began caressing his hair at that, which he didn't mind at all. It was oddly comforting. Steven answered him "You didn't mess it up. Your problems are important to me, of course I'll help you.  ~~Especially, if it involves doing this~~. I really don't mind. Also, you helped me, too".  Lars felt an arm pulling at his waist and in turn making him shift closer to the source of warmth in his bed. He wished, he could do this every day. Sadly though, this was a normal thing for Steven. It didn't mean anything. It was no indicator, that the gem liked him  _like that_.

His interior monologue was interrupted, as someone knocked on the door and came in. At first, he wanted to scoot away in shock, but a hand on his back pressed down a bit, keeping him in place. Still, he turned his head a bit to see who was coming in. When he saw both of his parents, he buried himself deeper in Steven's warmth and closed his eyes. He didn't want to deal with them...

Dante had shortly seen the puffy eyes and the almost dried tears of his son- what had happened here? He softly asked " Is everything alright? You look like something happened." He felt his wife behind him, grasping his hand in support. They had come up to bring  _even more_ sweets, guessing, they had already eaten the rest.

When Lars murmured something incoherent into his chest, he interpreted as an encouragement to talk. So, the diamond explained "The movie was stupid. They were so  _mean_ to the poor zombies... it might have upset Lars a bit." He felt the latter punching him lightly. Apparently that was not, what he had wanted him to do.

"Oh sweetie...  But Steven, you seem to do a good job at comforting him. Hm, we brought you more sweets, do you want to have them? They'll surely cheer him up," she noted. As Steven nodded encouragingly, she went towards them and set a bowl with candy down on the nightstand. She looked at the couple and smiled. Afterwards, she winked at Steven, before leaving the room with her husband and closing the door. 

Steven ate multiple pieces of candy in silence, while Lars hugged him and showed no sign of life. He didn't even simulate breathing right now, which kind of unsettled the diamond. He unwrapped a piece of candy and held it towards Lars, but the older boy couldn't see it anyway as he had buried his head in the diamond's chest. So, he pulled his head up by his hair, which earned him a growl of sorts, and put the candy in front of Lars' mouth. "It'll make you happy~!" Steven smiled at him. The pirate snorted and took the sweets. He hoped, Steven wouldn't  _feed_ him too much. His poor stomach could only take so much.

However, Steven gave him more and more of it and he finally stopped him. "Nooo... I'll burst or puke, if you don't stop," he whined. 

The diamond shrugged and ate the rest, before saying "Are you feeling any better now?".

His pirate looked up again from the depths of the blankets and pondered the question, before stating:" Yeah... Even if that doesn't change the others' opinions."

Steven looked at him determined. "The others don't matter. Also, if an intergalactic space-queen says, you are perfect like this, it must be true, right? Maybe I should join the other diamonds, just so I can put anyone who hurts you into my zoo or worse", the diamond laughed, but became serious again "Lars, why did you want to come with me, if I went to Homeworld, anyway? You never told me."

"Because of  _this_. On Homeworld, no one would make fun of me. Also, I can't let you go there alone and loose you. You are one of my best friends  ~~and more,~~ " Lars blushed. Oh, how he wished to say the last part.

Steven frowned "Lars, you know, Homeworld would be dangerous, right? They might kill you... And even if everything goes right, what would you do there all day? You don't know anyone there..." 

"If it goes wrong, we are dead anyway. If I joined you there, I would protect you or just spend time with you. I don't know and it doesn't matter. Just don't  _leave me alone_ , ok?" Lars whispered, while playing with a cord of the hoodie, Steven wore. Why was he so keen on Steven staying with him? The diamond guessed, Lars really had developed feelings for him, but he had to be sure before he did anything about it. 

The younger boy gazed at one of the windows and yawned "I think, I'll sleep now, if that is alright with you." When his pinkish friend nodded, he pulled him closer again by his waist and cuddled him more intently. He could stay like this forever... If he went to Homeworld, he would definitely take Lars with him- he could live  forever as well. So, he could cuddle him every day!

 


	5. The morning after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars and Steven run into more problems, one of them being a boy from Lars' year, they both know.

Lars awoke and was rather confused at first. What was going on? When he opened his eyes, he couldn't really see anything and he was pressed up to  _something_ warm. The warm thing also breathed and snored... He pushed himself away carefully to see, who was in his bed. He could see Steven's black locks and his face now and he remembered the last night clearly. The diamond had comforted him, after Lars' own plan had failed. He couldn't ponder that longer however, as he was promptly pulled back into the embrace. While doing that, Steven did a disapproving growl and began frowning in his sleep. Oh well, Lars thought. He didn't have any objections to that anyway. Instead, he buried his face deeper into the comfy body in front of him. He'd best enjoy it, while it lasted. He was alright now, so Steven wouldn't allow this to happen again later. He only cuddled his older friend, because he had been upset-  _nothing else_.

Suddenly a ringtone could be heard in the room, which awoke Steven instantly. It wasn't Lars' phone, so it must have been the diamond's. "Wha-what?" Steven murmured in confusion, while standing up and going over to his hamburger-bag. He went on to rummage through his things and after a while, he found his mobile. Annoyed, he answered the call. Lars wondered, who would call Steven  _now_. It wasn't super early, but it was  _Monday_. Most of their friends should be in school right now. He could hear Steven saying "Yeah? No, I'm not... Why should I?... Ugh, just leave me alone, ok? I don't want to meet up with  _you_... No!  **Bye**." The younger boy angrily hung up his phone and threw it back into his bag. Then he let himself fall onto the bed with a dramatic whine. 

"Who was that?" Lars asked him. Who could upset his friend that much? None of their shared friends, he was certain.

While punching the pirate's bed, he stated "Kevin..."

He couldn't mean  _the_ Kevin, could he? Lars cheeks became a darker shade of pink. "Y-You mean the Kevin from my year? What did he want from you?" he stammered in uncertainty. Where did Steven even know him from? Kevin usually kept away from younger teens and went to parties, where Steven shouldn't have been.

"Yes, that Kevin. He wants Stevonnie to come to one of his parties again. We went there once or twice and he won't leave us alone now," he explained to his crush. Why was Lars blushing? The other boy had sat up and his body language screamed of shame and anxiety. It definitely did not look comfortable and confident. Maybe he wanted to go to the party?

Kevin had met Stevonnie? This was worse than expected! "He- he didn't, uh,  _harass_ you, did he?" Lars carefully asked. 

"In which way? He is really annoying to us, yes," Steven admitted. 

"But he didn't  _touch_ you, r-right?" Lars stuttered. He knew Kevin  _rather well_. So he also knew of how he treated anyone, who he deemed easy prey. Girls  _and boys_ alike.

Steven was taken aback and shook his head, before wanting to know "Why are you asking? Does he do something like that regularly? Ugh, that guy is horrible!" Lars folded his hands in his lap, wanting to hide them trembling, but Steven had already seen. "Why are you behaving so weird?" he asked then.

 _Shit_. He did  _so not_ want to tell Steven this! Still, the diamond had started stroking his arm in encouragement and wanted him to say something. His crush would think  _even less_ of him. He began to confess " Yeah, he  _often_ does touch people like  _that_. A-and I might have fallen victim to it myself..."

"What?! But you aren't even a girl! How could you have let that happen?" Steven exclaimed in shock.

" _That doesn't matter_ , Steven. Really, he would toy with anyone. And what should I have done? Fight him? It was my own fault anyway. I wanted to go to his house-party and become cool so desperately- I ignored any signs of warning," Lars averted his eyes.

"What did he do? Tell me, Lars! I swear, if he hurt you, I'm ending him," the diamond begged to be told.

He didn't want to talk about it, but Steven had this  _effect on him_. He could always make Lars confess his darkest secrets. So he told him "At first, he only danced near me and sometimes let a hand run down my arm or sides- I thought, it was an accident! But later, he got me a few drinks for free a-and I took them of course. I mean,  _they were free_. When I was already pretty drunk, he told me to follow him and I did. H-he led me to his room a-and...  **Fuck** , why am I even telling you this?  I-It doesn't matter- forget I said anything!" Lars broke off his explanation. Why had he told him that?  He should just have shut his mouth. 

"It's alright! You can tell me everything. I won't tell, I promise," Steven reassured and embraced him. Kevin would pay for this.

"O-okay. He just hugged and kissed me. I even went along for a bit, but I came to my senses and tried to push him away. H-He then pushed me onto his bed and straddled me and just  _went on_. He felt me up a-and stuff, but then a friend of his burst in to get him. I-I don't know, how far he would have gone... I'm just lucky, he had to go away, I guess.  **Shit** , this is so embarrassing- it was all my fault, I told you. I should have been more careful- I-," the teenager started stammering. It had been horrible. He had been so keen on becoming popular, he had ignored any dangers.  _He should have known_. "Best thing is, he is also one of those jerks, who now insult me for being undead!" Lars laughed bitterly. At least Kevin would not  _touch_ him anymore.

The diamond could only stare at Lars in disbelief. Despite being a bit awkward, Lars had always seemed cool, strong and confident to him. He could have never guessed, that he would be a  _victim_... In reality however, Lars was just as lost and filled with anxiety as him, he saw. He promised his crush "If you want to, we will have him pay for what he did. And I will protect you from any more  _attacks_!"

Lars shook his head "And what do you plan to do? Kill him? He's an idiot- we best just ignore him... Can we **not** talk about this more? Or should I remind you, that your stay here is supposed to be some sort of holiday to you?" 

"But we can't let him get away with that! Also, I don't care about my stupid vacation, if you are hurt! I can't ignore your problems- stop  _pretending_ , that everything is alright. I  _care for you_ and it only hurts me, if you are dishonest!" Steven almost shouted at him. He shook his zombie a bit, as if that would help to make him understand. 

"But I can't tell you everything!" the pinkish boy exclaimed.

"Why not? I thought, we were friends!" the Pink Diamond inquired, stopping his shaking.

Lars looked to the side "Because then, you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore! Seriously, you don't want to know, how much of a sicko I am! Just leave it alone,  _I can't loose you_ , Steven!" What did his friend expect? Yeah, he  _could_ tell him everything. Perhaps he should tell him, that he regularly  _got off_ on thinking about  _fucking_ Steven. That would not unsettle him at all,  _sure_. After all, Steven only looked like a child! What was wrong about that?

Steven was fed up with his senseless banter. "Why are you always saying, that you are scared of loosing me? Have I ever  _left_ anyone? What could be so bad, as to make me end our friendship? I am  _Pink Diamond_ and I told you that. Do you even understand, how much trust I place in you with that? Why would I, if our friendship meant nothing to me?" he exclaimed. Why did the zombie have to be so stubborn? Was this his punishment for his mom's mistakes?

" _I don't know_! You are nice to literally  _everyone_... Our friendship  _could_ mean nothing to you, for all I know. But you are my  _only real friend_! Everyone else is hating me!" the pirate finally admitted. He couldn't even call Sadie his best friend anymore. She became way happier without him...

"But you are one of my best friends, as well! And yes, I like a lot of people, but have you ever seen me  _revive_  someone else? Also, If you were just another friend to me, I surely wouldn't have come to you or cuddled with you the whole night! What's your problem? And no one hates you, either. They are just scared of you being a zombie. Once we show them they are wrong, they'll like you again!" Steven full-on shouted at him. Not knowing what to say anymore, he tackled his friend and embraced him on the bed. 

He wanted to fight him off, but the diamond was far too strong for him. So in the end, he just gave in. Meanwhile, he silently sniffled, not wanting to cry and embarrass himself further. Perhaps his crush was right? He most likely was being too pessimistic again. Why was he so stupid? His dumbness only seemed to increase in his diamond's presence as well! 

Just then, his mom came in with a tray, bringing breakfast to them. They had heard the two shouting at each other and hoped, they could calm them down like that. To her surprise, the two were embracing each other and her son looked pretty awful. "Are you two all right? We heard arguing...," she asked.

Before the gem could answer, Lars assured her "We fought, but now it's alright. Don't worry about it; it was my fault again." He then proceeded to hug the other boy tighter and nuzzle his locks. 

"Hm. Anyways, I brought you two food! Maybe you were just hungry?" she laughed. Teenagers- why were they always so invested in creating drama? Their topic had been redundant again, she assumed. She sat down the tray on her son's bed, smiled and left the room.

~~Later at the pier~~

Steven and Lars had decided to go outside for a while. They had not spoken of their little fight again, as they rather wanted to have fun. Right now they were walking along the pier, which was rather empty, because most of their friends were at school. They wanted to buy fries after a while and to their surprise, Ronaldo was working. When they walked up to him, Steven asked "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"No... I was suspended, because I 'harassed' a girl- But really, I am convinced she's one of the sneeple! Those school officials just don't want to see it yet, but I will prove it to them!" Fryman explained to them. He handed Steven the bits and the pinkish boy normal fries. "Also why aren't  _you_ in school, Lars?" he went on to say.

Uncomfortable, Lars shifted on his feet and answered "I don't go to school anymore. The people there  _suck_ and it's useless anyway. I don't need a degree or anything anyway."

"Whatever you say. How is the zombie-life treating you, hm? You still have to give me an interview about it!" their friend exclaimed. Lars hadn't outright promised him an interview, but it was his  _duty_ to do so for science! His whole  _condition_ was just so interesting and exciting! He finally had prove of zombies!

Lars sighed "It's  _alright_ , I guess. Being a zombie would be way better though, if other people would accept it. It's sad, that you are one of the people, who are most positive about it..."

Steven lit up at that "Lars! You have to give him an interview, so he can publish it. Then everyone could see, how you really are and that you aren't dangerous." He felt very proud of having such a good idea. This would surely score him some bonus points with Lars after their fights!

Ronaldo nodded approvingly. "Of course I can do that for you! It  _is my job_ to not only protect Beach City from monsters, but also the monsters from Beach City!" he stated firmly. This would be his next big hit...

"Uh, alright then. It can't get any worse than it already is anyway. So, let's do this," Lars agreed as well. 

Ronaldo ran away as quick as lightning to get a pencil and paper to write down everything. When he came back, he needed a second to prepare questions, but not long. Lars had meanwhile climbed onto the counter and sat on it. Their interview lasted for what felt like  _hours_ , but this was normal for Ronaldo. And really, it was  _fun_. Steven also explained a few things, which involved gem-stuff. Then Ronaldo did a quick draft of his article and presented it to them, allowing them to change it a bit:

> Keep Beach City Weird - The mysterious case of ~~Laramie~~  Lars Barriga
> 
> As many of you may know by now, one of our own has become  ~~a monster~~ an undead. However, many of you don't quite know, what this really means. I, as a paranormal investigator, took it upon me to interview this  ~~dangerous~~  zombie, so everyone may loose their prejudices of him. Here is, what I found out:
> 
> Technically, he isn't a typical zombie like in the movies. He has not been infected with a virus or been cursed. Instead, he died and was revived by Steven Quartz Universe. Universe's magic made him not only pink, but also gave him hair, that serves as a portal to another dimension! Furthermore, he became more or less immortal and won't age any longer. His skin is very cold to the touch and his heartbeat gone, but Barriga still feels relatively normal. He says, he is more or less the same guy he was before. 
> 
> He can't infect others, he explained to me.  ~~If he killed you however, Steven could resurrect you as well, he threatened.~~ Also, he doesn't eat brains or drink blood- he doesn't need to eat at all! He is quite the docile zombie, it seems! There is  ~~almost~~ no danger in interacting with him. Universe added, that the revival only made Lars more like a gem than anything else...

"Sounds pretty good to me. I'll work on it a bit more later and then post it. This will make me famous!" Ronaldo exclaimed and waved at them.

Lars and Steven wandered off then; they had been given even more fries for their compliance. They sat down on a nearby bench and talked for a while. Steven asked his friend "Do you think, this will help?"

"Yeah. At least, if he doesn't write anything funny. Steven... thank you." the pirate answered him truthfully.

"What for?" the diamond frowned. He hadn't really done much besides having the idea.

"For everything. The idea just then was great. Also, thanks for putting up with me. I know myself, that I'm a bit...  _difficult._  I feel so dumb for always fighting with you about stuff, which isn't even that bad. I mean, you  _saved my life_. I really should not treat you like that... I'm sorry," Lars admitted. How had he not lost his diamond already? Literally anyone else would have left him for the things, he did. And he was so very scared of his friend leaving him alone. He was immortal now- he couldn't stay alone forever!

The younger boy hugged him again and smiled at him. "It's alright. I like helping you! I just can't stand seeing you sad or angry. I want you to be happy!" Steven explained to him. He hoped, Lars wouldn't ask, why he wanted him to be happy. He could never tell him of his true feelings. Instead, he only hugged his pink friend tighter. 

Lars only shook his head and hugged back.  He loved touching his crush. He was so warm and soft... But he could never have him anyway. Out of nowhere, Steven's phone rang again and he pulled it out of his pocket. He looked on the display and saw  _Kevin's_ name yet again. He groaned and wanted to answer it, but the pirate had other ideas. He ripped the phone out of the diamond's hands and answered it himself. "What do you want, Kevin?" he asked. Steven could only stare at Lars- what was he planning?

"Oooh~ I know that voice! What are you doing with Universe's phone, hm? Desperate for more? You know, I was really sad, when we were interrupted back then...," he heard Kevin coo. Instantly, Lars became angry and wanted to off the guy. How dare he say that? But he wouldn't let himself be influenced so easily.

"I'd rather **stick my dick in a blender** , than be with you. Now,  _what do you want_?", he said, disgusted of even thinking about being touched by the other boy again.

"Why so graphic? If you  _have to know_ , I want the boy and his girlfriend to come to my house-party this evening. You could come, too~ I'd even ignore your _condition_. You know, pink suits you well. And I promise you, this time, I won't  _disappoint_. " Kevin went on flirting with the zombie.

Girlfriend...? He looked at Steven, wide-eyed. Please don't tell him, she really was! But why would Kevin say so, otherwise? He knew  _everything_! He was always the one guy, that was informed about every last bit of gossip... Why hadn't Steven told him? He had made a fool of himself- the cuddling really had meant nothing! He felt heartbroken. Of course, there wasn't anything more going on between him and the diamond! 

"Hello? I need an answer, you know? Or are you just not convinced yet?  _Baby_ , I can do  _everything_ for you~ You just have to come and bring the two with you; I'll _reward_ you~" Kevin tried to convince him, sounding seductive.

His heart began aching- why had no one told him? In his confused, enraged state he answered "We'll come." He ended the call with that and handed Steven the phone again. "We are going to the party tonight and you'll bring Connie with you," he explained and stood up, feeling more dead inside than ever.

"Huh? But why? I thought you hated him! I don't understand-," Steven asked in confusion. What was going on? What had Kevin told his crush?

Lars snapped "It doesn't matter, what I said earlier. We are going there, ok? Just- I want to fell normal again and parties are a part of being normal. And you and Connie will like it there as well." He didn't lie really. They might like it and he really just wanted to get his mind off of Steven. He had been so foolish to think, the diamond really  _loved_ him. A party with Kevin would be the best solution to his problems. He would make him feel nice-  _at least for one evening_. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm doing relatively well with this story. It isn't that dark like the others! Well, it's not as happy as expected either... Sorry owo


	6. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars tries to drown out his thoughts about Steven and everyone gets hurt.

Kevin's parents were filthy  _rich_. One just had to look at their house! Three stories, marble floors, beautiful garden...Steven, Connie and Lars were currently walking up their driveway like some other teenagers did. Well, Lars was trailing behind the other two really. He hadn't spoken much since the phone-call. His mind was just one big mess. The diamond had asked him multiple times, what was wrong, but he had never answered. In the end, Steven had just given up. Perhaps Lars only needed some time away from him? Or maybe he was unnerved because of Kevin? He didn't know. Connie was kind of oblivious to their fight, thinking Lars was behaving like always. She was only happy, that she could spend time with her best friend! They hadn't met in so long and fusing had been even further back. 

Lars had even  _changed_. He had traded his commander's clothes for black trousers and a black shirt. He didn't want to wear anything associated with  _Steven_. He would send away the boy soon, too. He couldn't stand having him around any longer. How dare he use him like that? He had given him so many opportunities to tell him, that the diamond loved him- but no. He never did. Lars was only a useful friend to him...

As they entered the building, Steven was immediately dragged to the dance floor by a laughing Connie. Lars meanwhile went over to some of his classmates, who he hadn't seen in ages. Ronaldo's article was up by now as well- perhaps they had already read it? He chatted with them for a while and they seemed to be fine with his condition. They didn't make any remarks at least. Suddenly, someone embraced him from behind- It couldn't have been Steven, the person was far too tall. "Hey, there~ I see you brought the other two along,  _good boy_." was cooed into his ear by no other than Kevin. 

"Of course, I did," he simply stated, while allowing the hug to go on. He looked around and saw Steven. He was dancing with  _his girlfriend_ , but also looked at him in utter confusion. Steven couldn't understand, what Lars was  _doing_. Why was he ignoring Steven and letting himself be touched by Kevin of all people? He had almost been raped by him before- he should  _do something_! He shouldn't lean into him!

"Do you want a drink? It's free  _for you_ ~," Kevin whispered again and he nodded. This made Kevin let go and get drinks for them. The  older boy could really get nice, if he wanted to get someone in his bed, he knew. 

A girl from his class said "Uh, are you two an item?"

"No," he dryly stated. And he didn't plan on becoming one, either. He really only wanted to use Kevin, so he could forget his other crush. He  _hated_  Kevin for the most part. The only good things about him were his seductive abilities and his looks. Although his look wasn't even that perfect. Still, when he returned, he gladly took the drink from him. He wondered, if Kevin could drug him, although he was undead. He could get drunk; he had already tested it out, after his first  _horrible_ day back home. But other drugs? Because really, he had no doubt, Kevin would try something like that to get him to comply.  _Even if he didn't need to tonight._ The drink was pretty strong and tasted, like it mainly consisted of vodka and a tiny bit of _something_ else. The older boy was trying way to hard, he thought. 

The popular teenager lay an arm across the zombie's waist, pulling him close. "Do you want to dance? We could steal everyone's show, even  _Stevonnie's,_ " he asked. He did his best smirk, when Lars nodded in agreement and sat his now empty cup to the side. He led him to the dance-floor as well. Just now Lars saw, that Sour Cream was DJ today. He couldn't think about it more though, as Kevin had already pulled him close. While they were dancing, the older one's hands wandered  _a lot_. Sliding down his arms, sides and resting at his hip. "Just look at them- how  _pathetic_ they are...," Kevin began rambling, but he didn't really listen to him. He regarded his two friends; surprisingly, they had not fused yet. 

Connie frowned at him "What's wrong? Why haven't we fused?"

"Sorry... I'm just worried about Lars. I mean,  _look at him_! He's dancing with Kevin! He started behaving so weird since he called, too," he explained. Why was Lars doing this? 

"It's nothing, I'm sure. Kevin is in his class, so they know each other. Maybe Lars is happy to see him again? Perhaps they are friends?" she proposed. She couldn't know, whether they were or not. She had never concerned herself with Lars that much.

"No! I know for a fact, that Lars  _hates_ him. I can't tell you why though. Trust me, this isn't normal," he interrupted her. This would be easier, if he could tell her of their history. 

Lars felt the alcohol  _and something else._ "You roofied me," he stated matter-o-factly, at which he was pulled closer. Kevin lay his arms around his waist and nuzzled into his neck, while chuckling. 

"Only a bit. It won't make you pass out,  _probably_. It'll just make you  _relax_ a bit. Trust me, the evening will be much nicer with it,  _baby_ ~," he was answered. He began kissing up Lars' neck, whispering sweet nothings to him. Kevin completely ignored the weird stares they got-  _he wanted them to see_.

It felt rather good to him, but the zombie attributed it to him having been drugged. He should be more concerned probably, but he couldn't begin to care. This had been his plan, more or less. He let Kevin commence his doings and felt the latter grinding up into him slightly. This would be fun, he thought. However, Steven came over, gripped Kevin's shoulder and pulled him backwards. "Leave him alone, you pervert! I know, what you've did to him- this isn't what he wants!" he exclaimed. Apparently, he had had enough. Lars didn't know, how to feel.

The eldest boy angrily pulled Lars back by his waist again, preventing escape. "How would you know?  _You're a child_! Also, he didn't object to any of it. Now go!" he growled. 

Steven spoke directly to Lars now "You can't seriously agree to this!"

He shrugged "Why do  _you_ care? Just go away and  _be with Connie_." On his own accord, he shifted closer towards Kevin. He wished, he would take him to his room now. He didn't want to see Steven. All of this was far too stressful for him.

Steven couldn't believe it. "What is wrong with you? Just this morning, you cried to me about him almost  _raping_ you and now you're fine with it?! What did he tell you on the phone? Did he blackmail you? Please, just tell me!" he demanded to be told. Everyone turned in horror at the mention of rape.

" **I did not rape him** , understood? And no, I don't blackmail him. I hate you kids with your awful imagination. Believe it or not, the pretty one is here, because he wants to.  _Now leave,"_ Kevin defended himself against the accusations against him. Some other teens seemed to believe him, shook their heads and turned away again. What had Lars told Universe? He knew, he only wanted to make Steven jealous _again_ and there weren't any real feelings for him, of course. Still, Lars should not go around telling people of their little  _secret_ , especially not, if he twisted it around a bit.

Lars nodded "Just leave us alone, Steven. I don't want to  _see you_...," he noted, while turning and encouraging the older boy to dance again. Before doing that however, Kevin had other intentions. Kevin let his hand wander up to Lars' chin, making him title his head and locking lips with him. Meanwhile, his other hand wandered below the pirate's shirt, stroking here and there. Lars embraced him at that and deepened the kiss.

The diamond felt devastated. What was going on? He began to tear up and ran outside into the garden, hiding himself. Connie followed him in concern and said "Maybe you really misunderstood something? Please, I'm sure it's alright, stop crying."

Sobbing, he whimpered "N-no! He told me, that Kevin tried to take advantage of him once! I don't understand, what's going on... Just this night, w-we cuddled and yesterday, he even kissed me on the forehead a-and now, he ignores me!"

"He did that?  A-Are you two dating?" she asked in shock. She had always guessed, Steven wasn't entirely straight and he fancied Lars quite a bit, but not this much!

"No... Or rather, I wish, we did. I love him, Connie! I really do... And I thought, he might love me as well, but now...," he cried more. 

~~

"Maybe, we should take this somewhere else, baby~," the older one whispered into his ear seductively, while discreetly rubbing his crotch. Uncharacteristically, Lars giggled at that. The drugs didn't just make him  _relax_ , he had observed. Together with the strong alcohol he had been given, he also felt rather hot and silly. He nodded, before kissing Kevin again and being dragged up two stories to Kevin's master-bedroom.

It was pretty grand. The walls were higher than usual, the decor was mainly in blue and grey and the bed was so big, that four people would have had enough space. After locking the door, the rich kid let his gaze wander up and down his prey. Lars  _was_   _quite handsome_ and the pink really did suit him. Normally, he didn't often  _do men._ He only ever agreed to it, if they were at least somewhat feminine and Barriga definitely was. He went towards him and pulled him into yet another kiss- he had waited so long for this. He had almost killed the guy, who had interrupted them last time. He began tugging at Lars' shirt, making him take it off. Next came his trousers. Kevin loosened the belt and pushed them down to reveal even more light pink skin. After the zombie stepped out of his trousers, he undressed himself.

He regarded the boy in front of him. He was palming himself through his underwear-  _good_. He stepped directly in front of him and demanded "How about you put your mouth to good use, hm?~" He pushed down the pink boy gently, making him kneel in front of him somewhat. He took himself in his hands and then pulled Lars closer by his hair. Greedily, Lars took him into his mouth, not even choking on it. "Oh- you're such a slut~ You seem to have become  _quite experienced_ ," he moaned. Not being able to hold himself back, he began thrusting in and out the coolness. Last time, Lars hadn't been  _this_ good. Hopefully they wouldn't need to stop again.

Lars was lucky, he didn't need air. They had gotten this far last time as well. However, he had been chocking a lot and cried, because, well, he hadn't done it out of free will entirely. It hadn't been rape exactly, either. He had agreed in the beginning and then taken it back. Now he would go through with it! He had been drugged, but he still wanted this. It made his other thoughts disappear... From the moaning above him, he could guess Kevin was pretty close. To his surprise the older boy stopped and pulled away, before grasping his hand and pulling him up to kiss. Afterwards he was pushed backwards onto the bed and Kevin crawled on top of him. "Hm~ Let's take this a bit further. You want to get  **fucked** by your  _daddy_? Beg for it...," he ordered, while grinding into his crotch. 

"Y-Yes...Nngh~ Please fuck me,  _daddy_!" he shamefully pleaded. Why did Kevin have to know of his kink? He should have never played truth or dare with him... Apparently it wasn't enough for the sadist on top of him, so he went on moaning "Please... make me yours.  _Claim me_! Daddy~  _Please_!"

"Hmm, you want to be  _mine_? I guess I will grant you your wish, after all, you still need to get your  _reward_. But don't think, I don't know, what this is all about...," he whispered, pulling down the pirate's underwear.

"What?" Lars asked in his drugged state.

"I'm not dumb. You only want to make Steven jealous by fucking with me, you're such  _a bad boy_. I've seen you look at him. But it doesn't matter now, there's no going back  _now_ ," he growled.

He wet his fingers, and inserted one into Lars, who was staring at him- he knew? "T-that's why you roofied me...,"it dawned on him.

"Such a clever boy~ Now, shut up, or I'll  _gag_ you," he ignored the slight resistance below him, that emerged. Lars had brought this upon himself. 

~~

"Steven... I think, Lars was drugged by Kevin- It makes sense! This would prevent him resisting Kevin's advances," she exclaimed. She had come to the conclusion, after talking about Lars' behavior with the gem.

"Drugs? What kind of drugs? Also, he voluntarily went here...," Steven noted. It was true, Lars was the one who had wanted to go here and, he had not resisted Kevin's hug, either.

She sighed "Date rape drugs, Steven! It's really not good, that you don't go to school... They are put into drinks and either lead to the victim passing out or just making them more docile, so... the rapist can sleep with them. Did you see Lars drinking anything? Also, perhaps he went here to make you jealous or something? You tried to make me jealous once too... it was rather similar. And then it went out of control?"

He nodded "Kevin brought him something- b-but what do we do now?" Even if something like that was happening, what could they do? Just go in there?

"Follow me- maybe it's not too late yet!" she told and dragged him inside. There they searched for the couple on the whole floor, where the party was at. When they couldn't find them, they went up to Sour Cream and asked him, where they went.

"I don't know, man. They went on with kissing each other and stuff and then Kevin dragged Lars upstairs," he answered. They thanked him and ran upstairs, but on the second floor all rooms were empty. Next came the third floor, where they tested every door as well- one was locked. They went on to eavesdrop on that door:

"Stop struggling. You wanted this yourself!" Kevin growled. Steven almost wanted to destroy the door at that- Kevin was raping him! He had to get inside and help! But he couldn't, because Connie held him back.

"Yes, but it was a mistake! Let go-," Lars whined in disagreement.

They heard the oldest boy say "No, I won't! Just two minutes ago, you were  _begging_ to be  **fucked** by me!"

"But now I don't! I only did, because you roofied me!" the zombie cried.

"You are impossible! You can't just lead me on like that and then say, you don't wanna! Also, how dare you tell Universe, I raped you! Argh! I didn't drug you, so I could _rape_ you! I just wanted to make this more fun and not have you opt-out again, you moron" Kevin shouted next and they could hear angry stomping inside the room.

They clearly could make out Lars sobbing now "I'm sorry...! I'm so sorry... I don't know what I want! I really wanted it before, but now I don't..."

"Should I tell you what you want, hm?!  _You_ want to  **fuck** that awful gem-hybrid! And you're coming to me all the time, because you are frustrated and want to make him jealous! I'm not some kind of- of  _toy_ , Barriga! You can't play with me like that! You can't come here and demand I sleep with you, just to begin crying in the middle of it and pushing me away. So either, you let me sleep with you now, or you leave this house forever- I've had enough. I don't want the police to come here and take me to prison, because you go around telling everyone lies!" Kevin screamed.

After nothing but sobbing was to be heard for a few minutes, the stomping continued and suddenly, the door opened with Kevin storming past them. "Seriously? Is everyone here crazy? Were you listening the whole time, you sickos? Universe- take your moronic friend and make him your boyfriend or something. I can't take this anymore! Just- don't come here anymore!" he said, before vanishing for good. 

"What the- Steven, I think you should do this alone," Connie noted, while backing away and abandoning her friend. Steven was all alone in front of the now open door, hearing tiny sobs coming from inside. He went inside, anxious of what would happen next. When he entered, he saw a half naked Lars sitting on Kevin's bed. He only seemed to wear his underwear. 

"Lars? A-Are you alright?" the diamond said, walking towards the bed, but still keeping a good distance to it. When his friend shook his head, he asked "I-Is it true? You wanted to make me jealous by  _sleeping_ with Kevin-  **multiple times**?" Lars nodded, still keeping silent, while crying a bit. "But why? Why would you try to make me jealous?" he wanted to know. It didn't make any sense.

"Because I love you! A-And you aren't returning my feelings...," the zombie shouted.  

"Who said I didn't?" the diamond asked. Lars only shrugged and told him, that everyone seemed to say, that he and Connie were in love. "But I'm not! Connie is my best friend and nothing more! I always liked you way more. If I had been together with her, I would have told you!" he exclaimed. 

"How can you even love me? I'm a train wreck! Just look at what I've done now...," he Lars whispered, while falling backwards onto the bed and groaning. 

Steven shook his head "Really? I've done equally risky and dumb things. For example, I sacrificed myself to the diamonds and now, I am one myself! I'm not as  _perfect_ as you might think, Lars. And I love you for being this train wreck! You are just as stubborn and awkward as me, too. Just please, don't hate on yourself all the time!"

Lars laughed like a madman. All of his worries had been for naught. Steven loved him and not Connie. The others didn't hate him, either.  _He was such an idiot_. "We really do fit together quite well, hm? I'm a moron and you are as well. Oh stars... Maybe we should go home, but let me dress first. Also, I have to apologize to Kevin.  _Poor guy_." he brought out. He quickly gathered his clothes, that were strewn about the room and then went downstairs with Steven to Kevin. The latter was sitting at the bar, with what looked like a whole bottle of vodka. Lars motioned for Steven to stay back and went to him, taking the bottle away. "You know, you should really search for better coping mechanisms than this. Kevin, I'm sorry, I really am. I should not have  _used_ you for that." he told him.

"Pff. You should search for  _better coping mechanisms_ as well. Now,  _go_. Please don't come to my house again!" he whined, while letting his head rest on the surface of the bar. The zombie patted his back thrice at that, trying to show, that he was being sincere. He didn't want to hurt Kevin- he had just assumed, he would be fine. 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, at least it didn't turn super dark! I'm going to do one or two more chapters. Hopefully it will still become the happy fanfic, I wanted it to be. I just can't do it though, I think. I'm officially unable to write happy things :'( Writing dark stuff is so much more fun....


	7. Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars is drunk and his parents are angry. Also: potentially bad decisions were made.

The alcohol and drugs had really kicked in by now, Steven observed. They were currently in the kitchen, as Steven had to eat something. It was already past midnight and they had just come home. He was very thankful, that Kevin had not waited to advance on his friend. In this state, he couldn't say no to anything. Also he seemed to have become really clingy and silly, judging by what he did.  Steven had his back turned towards his companion, while he made himself sandwiches. Suddenly however, he was embraced from behind and a hand rubbed over his gem. "Lars, please let me go. I have to eat!" he demanded and it worked at first.

But, not only two minutes later, Lars was back, latching onto him like a tick. To his diamond, he cooed "I looove you~."

"Are you serious? I love you, too, but I am hungry!" he exclaimed.

"Hello Hungry, I'm daddy~.", the zombie went on giggling. He felt really clever as well for his pun. 

Steven wasn't having it and turned around in his friends arms to punch him lightly. "Let go!" he ordered again, but Lars shook his head. He felt himself being pushed back into the counter and lifted onto it. "What are you doing?" the diamond angrily wanted to know. He was quickly stunned into silence however, when Lars attacked his neck. He licked and sucked at it, making him blush furiously. He had  _never_ done something like that before. First of, he wasn't really into being _dominated_ and secondly, he never had had a realtionship like this before. He began stammering "L-Lars? Maybe we should wait until you're sober?" 

Why did he want to wait? Waiting  _sucked_. Also, he was sober! Teasing his little friend and getting little mewls as a reward was far too much for him. He began sucking harder, making sure to leave behind hickeys. Sadly, he was being pushed away. Annoyed, he whined "Ugh, I  _am_ sober! It's your own damn fault for being so cute. _Come_ _on_ ~." He proceeded to lean in on his friend, but this time didn't aim for his neck. Instead he kissed him right on the mouth, ignoring Steven's disapproving  growl. It was pure heaven kissing him and Steven must have thought so as well, as he kissed back carefully. Steven tasted utterly sweet and he began doing these little mewls again. He couldn't help, but push more  and force his diamond more onto the counter. He felt himself getting hard and so he ground into the warmth in front of him.

Then, two things happened at once: Steven squeaked in shock and he flew into the nearest wall. His head hurt like hell, but he slowly came to his senses. Well, as much as he could in his state anyway. Why had Steven pushed him away so violently? He looked at Steven, and then to the spot he was staring at: his parents, standing in the doorway. "Uh- Hey mom! Hey dad! When did you come in here...?" he tried to sound sober. Technically, he had been forbidden to drink by them. And he definitely should not be on drugs. He slowly stood up, checking beforehand, if he had broken any bones. 

Dante began speaking "What is going on here? Where were you?" Oh, right. Lars might not have told them in his hurt, where they had went.

"Haha... Nothing happened! We- we were at the circus!" Lars lied badly, but he thought it was good. 

His mom looked at him "At night? Also, the circus isn't even open this month! Lars, honey, are you drunk?!" She went towards him and smelled at his breath. She gasped in shock "How could you! You are 17, Lars. Steven, you didn't drink as well, did you? Please explain, what happened. And tell us the truth! Otherwise, you'll have to go home." She checked his status as well, but he smelled alright.

He was still blushing from Lars' administrations. "We went to Kevin's house party with Connie. While I danced with her, Kevin and Lars drank and stuff," he explained.

Dante became suspicious "Yeah? What is the  _other stuff_ they did? Also, you two were just kissing. Something more happened. This is your last chance, Universe. You're going home, if you don't-"

"I made out with Kevin at the party to make Steven jealous. A-and Kevin gave me a lot of drinks for free, so I took them.  I think one was roofied, but I don't know by whom. T-Then we all cried and fought, but later me and Steven made up and Kevin hates us now. The end!" Lars began blabbering on, trying to protect his diamond and _Kevin_. 

"You were roofied?, Lars- do you even understand, what could have happened to you? It's a miracle, you didn't pass out somewhere! A-And now Steven is letting you kiss him, although you are drunk out of your mind? Just no!... Steven, you are sleeping on the couch tonight and Lars in his room! We'll talk about this tomorrow! And trust me, there will be consequences!" she shouted. 

~~The morning after~~

His head hurt like hell. What had happened? Slowly, Lars stood up from his bed. He was naked- so either, he was alone or had  _very special_ company. He couldn't remember. No really,  _he couldn't remember anything_. The last thing he knew of, was him sitting with Steven on a bench at the pier. Why was he naked and in his bed then? He looked around for any signs for what could have happened. He and Steven could not have slept with each other, could they? He panicked, but the gem was nowhere to be found.  _Good_. He loved Steven, but he was far too young. Or he at least looked like it. He could have never forgive himself, had he advanced on his crush. 

He went to the bathroom to shower and get dressed. Weird. Why was his coat and stuff not there? He usually kept his clothes for the next day in his bathroom, but the only things laying there were black trousers and a black t-shirt. It only got weirder, when he looked in the mirror and saw hickeys on his neck. When he looked down, he also saw marks on his hips- what  _had he done_?  Clearly, he had made out with  _someone_ , but whom? Please, don't let it be Steven, he thought. He turned around and also saw blemishes on his  _behind_. What? No... It couldn't have been Steven then. Lars would top with him, not the other way around. Steven wasn't really dominant, was he? But who else?

While showering, he tried to remember as much as possible, but no one came to mind. Well, they  _had met_ Ronaldo. But Lars would never-  _but he did not remember_... Perhaps Ronaldo roofied him... with the fries?! His anxiety started to rise again. Either, he had drank far too much or been roofied. But how and when? Would Ronaldo do that? Well, he had tried to sacrifice him once to the lighthouse-gem... Oh stars... Where was Steven then? Why wasn't he here? He quickly dressed in his commander's clothes and sneaked down the stairs. Perhaps his rapist was still there? He tried to silently sneak into the kitchen, but his parents were sitting at the table there. He looked at them like a deer in headlights- should he ask them, what happened?

"Honey, sit down please. We have to talk," his mom demanded. Now he also saw, that Steven was sitting next to Mr. Universe at the table.  _What happened_?! Why were they here? Something bad must have happened, but he couldn't remember. Had he really been raped? But what did Steven do here then? Had Steven roofied- no! Not his diamond... He slowly sat down, expecting _anything_ to happen. 

Dante began speaking "What you did yesterday was extremely irresponsible. And you will-."

"W-What happened? I don't remember...", he asked in uncertainty. Everyone looked at him in utter disbelief. Had he raped someone? What had he done?

His father sighed "Laramie... you went to Kevin's party and drank a lot. You were drugged. Thankfully, nothing happened. Well, you made out with the boy to make Steven jealous as well. And when the two of you got home, you advanced on Steven... Now to your punishment. Mr. Universe and we have agreed, that you and Steven won't meet each other for a while, until we agree, that it is time to do so."

He looked at his crush frantically, but he looked down onto the surface of the table. "You can't do this! I am the victim here; why am I being punished?" he exclaimed. Also, they had either not known everything or lied to him. Kevin or someone else must have slept with him. He had bruises all over his hips and butt... 

Greg shook his head "Sorry, buddy. But this is final. In the days you two were together, you did nothing but fight and get yourself into dangerous situations. If Steven were a normal boy, it would be bad enough, but  _you know, who he is_. We can't lose him or risk him getting emotionally hurt. The Crystal Gems need him and earth does, too. Now, say goodbye and then we'll go. You have five minutes."

The others left the kitchen, leaving him and his diamond alone. "Steven please, we have to do something! I can't loose you!" the zombie begged, while standing up.

Steven stood up as well and came towards him to embrace Lars. "Do you really remember  _nothing_?" he asked, at which Lars shook his head. 

"But I know, there must have been more going on. I have bruises all over me! Please, tell me what's going on," he added.

Steven sobbed lightly, while explaining "You  _tried_ to sleep with Kevin to make me jealous or something, but panicked and stopped. He said, it happened before. Lars, I'm not together with Connie! And I told you, that I love you... I'm so sorry, it turned out like this."

The diamond loved him? Well, at least one good thing came out of this. He placed a few kisses on Steven's curly head and said "I love you, too, even if I don't remember anything. This is all my fault- But we don't have time! My diamond, I can't be without you. We have to prevent this!"

"We can't just run away... Garnet would find us. And I can't just sneak out, either then. We could go to Homeworld, but that's plain suicide!" Steven sobbed. 

He thought their options through. All of them were destined to fail! All, but one. "What if we fuse? They can't unfuse us so easily, can they? They would have to hurt us and they won't," he proposed. But perhaps Steven wouldn't even want to fuse with him.

"Not even one minute left- we need to decide fast. If you're open to it, I'm as well. This isn't the ideal reason to fuse, but hey; there have been worse reasons!  _Kiss me_!" Steven said under pressure. They didn't have time to perform a full dance- they had to do this then. 

"K-Kiss? Uuuh, o-okay," Lars stammered. He had kissed him before, but he didn't know that.  _Thirty seconds left_ \- he smiled at Steven; even if it did not work, they would at least have a nice, last meeting. He still had Steven in his arms, so he only had to lean  in-  _but he was scared_. What if he just forced his diamond into something he didn't really want?  "I don't know, if I can do this- do you really want to? Maybe you're just doing this, because I'm influencing you-," he nervously said.

 _Twenty seconds left_ \- "No, you aren't!  _I love you_! Please, I dreamed of this for so long! I didn't fall in love with you just yesterday! I've loved you, since the day you gave me that stupid freezer-  _please_! We might  _never_ get this chance again!" Steven begged him. Now was not the time to be stubborn!

He glanced at the clock,  _ten seconds left_ , and already heard steps approaching. It was now or never. It is alright, he told himself. His love was returned. "Yes, my diamond~" he dorkyly exclaimed. He tilted Steven's head with a hand on his chin and went for it-

 _Exactly zero seconds left_. When Greg opened the kitchen's door, he was hit by a pink light.  It was so bright, he had to cover his eyes. The Barrigas behind him gasped in shock as well- what had happened? He let his arm drop and looked into the kitchen.  _A giant man_. 

"WHERE IS MY SON?" Dante shouted in shock. Who was this person? The guy was pretty tall, he must have been over 2,5 meters high. Also, he had  _four_ arms. What kind of monstrosity was this? Furthermore, his skin was a very light pink, while his hair starkly resembled Lars', only longer. He wore white leggins and pink shorts, while his shirt was dark pink with a white star on it and too short to cover his belly. Lastly, he wore a long, beautiful pink coat that even had a train and a gigantic naval piercing. It must have been a drag queen, Dante first assumed. But why would someone like that break into his house?

Stars answered, laughing at Dante's red head "I  _am_ your son! I'm Stars! A fusion of Lars and Steven. Nice to meet you~."

"No, you aren't, you sicko! Where is he?" Dante didn't understand. 

Greg however very much did. "Very clever, you two. I guess separating you is out of the question for now.  Dante, it really is Laramie. Steven fused with him, they are  _one_ now. It's not permanent however." he explained to his friend.

Mrs. Barriga intervened " Can't we force them to reverse it?"

"No. Well, we could fight him, but have fun with that. Steven is a diamond and is far too strong for us in a fusion. Also, we probably would have to kill your son to unfuse them. So, we best just leave them like that for now." Greg shrugged. 

"Yay!" Stars exclaimed and hugged himself with all four arms. "I love me!" he added, while giggling. The other three looked at them perplexed. What were they supposed to do? They momentarily became scared, when Stars approached them. However, he only hugged them. "I'm sorry, we had to do this, but we can't separate. I love you guys, though. You are all my parents now! Still, the punishment is stupid." he noted.

"But, honey... You can't just ignore what happened!" Lars' mom interrupted.

"I'm not ignoring it. I'm very aware of what happened, but dividing us won't help. We need each other for comfort!" he elaborated his point of view. Really, Lars needed his diamond now more than ever. He would be utterly lost, if he was gone. Steven was no better- Lars was one of the few, who really understood him.

Greg didn't agree with him there. "As I told you; Steven is far too important. We can't risk him being hurt in any way. And you two constantly hurt each other from what I've been told," he repeated himself. The two of them had been fighting a lot. Also, he doubted, Lars was being serious. He couldn't just make out with Kevin and then get together with his son! 

Stars shook his head vehemently. "If we lost each other, Steven would be hurt, though! Yes, we fought a lot the past few days, but can you blame us? Just look at us! Lars has to cope with being undead, while Steven went from war criminal to space-emperor! Then there is also the fact, that we could be invaded by the diamonds any minute and most of our friends and you left us alone with our problems. Fighting is normal! It just seems a bit extreme, because our problems  _are_ ," he desperately explained to them. He had to convince them...

Surprisingly, Lars' mom went over to him and hugged Stars in protest. "That's how you feel? We always tried to help you, honey- we just didn't know  _how_. I'm so sorry, you have to go through this," she softly said. Stars hugged back in approval. One down, two to go.

"It's alright  _mom_. I know it's hard for you as well, but this is not the solution to anything," he smiled. Then he turned towards Greg and explained "Also, Steven is far stronger and capable like this. If at all, he's safer in the fusion."

~~

In the end, they somewhat found common ground. Lars and Steven promised to fight less and in turn, their parents would leave them alone. Now they were sitting in the kitchen and preparing breakfast. No one had had breakfast before their argument, so they kind of had to. Stars was awkwardly sitting on his far too small chair while regarding his parents. He didn't really listen, as he was having an internal dialog himself. Steven and Lars wer  _fighting_ again. It wasn't anything severe, though. Steven wanted to eat, while Lars did not. He was sure, that Stars wouldn't handle food well. He was literally snapped out of it however by Dante, who tried to get his attention. "So, do you plan on staying like this forever now?" he asked.

Stars laughed to hide his uncertainty at that question "Why do you ask? Don't you like me, Daddy?". Well, he perhaps shouldn't call Dante that. But really, it was Lars' fault. He was the one, who had the slight daddy-issues. He couldn't help them seeping into his personality.

Dante blushed at Stars way of speaking. "U-uh... Of course I like you, but I like seeing my son even more. Also, I'm not really your father, am I?" he pointed out.

"Hm I think, all three of you are my parents.  But yeah, we could unfuse now. I suppose, it is safe to do so?", Stars asked, raising one eyebrow. His father nodded and he stood up. This would solve the little food-problem as well. When they unfused, Lars stood while Steven floated down from further above. Being a responsible boyfriend, Lars made sure to catch him. 

"Hm, my diamond, you are really light. Perhaps you were right- you really are starving! We have to change that!" he exclaimed, before setting his gem down. 

Steven lit up "Will you cook for me?" at which Lars nodded. He knew, that his cooking was quite good and his diamond loved it. He went to the fridge to get some materials for something nice. Steven loved anything, that was disgustingly sweet, so he decided to make pancakes with chocolate sauce. His boyfriend meanwhile orbited around him, trying to get some of the chocolate  beforehand.  

Greg regarded the two interacting. Oh stars... perhaps, he really had been wrong. They seemed to be quite joyful around each other. Still, he couldn't forget, what had almost happened to the Barrigas' son. Why was he so...  _okay_ with it? Had he been almost raped, he would not be this calm. 

"Heh. Do you want a special ingredient in it~?" Lars chuckled, while motioning towards the chocolate topping and holding up some kind of clear bottle, he had taken from the fridge.

But before Steven could ask, what he meant, Lars' mom intervened "Laramie, no! No alcohol!" 

He rolled his eyes. He hadn't been serious anyway... he didn't intend on making Steven drunk. Although, it would surely be a sight to behold. Just a few more years and he would try it. "It was a joke, mom. I won't give him alcohol or _other_   _drugs,_ I promise!" he defended himself. The diamond went on keeping close to his boyfriend. After a while, the older boy had finished and the result was _marvelous._ There on the counter sat a plate with eight pancakes stacked on top of each other. Chocolate ran down them like in some cheap commercial on TV. When Steven reached for it however, Lars put a hand against his chest and held him back. "Hm... how much are you willing to give me for them,  _my diamond_?" he whispered, but it was still loud enough to hear for their parents.

The gem-hybrid blushed at the use of his title. "Uuh... a kiss?" he smiled innocently. How could Lars blackmail him like that? He hugged his boyfriend's waist and pressed him into the counter a little bit. At the same time, Lars leaned down and kissed him. This was only their third kiss, he noted. And Lars didn't even remember their real  _first kiss_! He suddenly felt the pull of fusing, but quickly avoided it by stopping the kiss. He did not want to  _share_ his food! Before Lars could completely recover from making out a bit, Steven quickly took the plate and ran over to the table. Steven is complicated,  the pirate observed. He was extremely cute and innocent, but at the same time quite demanding. He really didn't know, how to react to that and which role he should take in their relationship. 

He sat down next to his diamond, observing him devouring the pancakes. They tasted good apparently. Steven asked out of good manners "Do you want some, too?" But he shook his head. Still, Steven being a little tease, put some of it on his fork and held it in front of his zombie's face. "But then you don't even know, if it tastes good or not!" he exclaimed. 

"All of my food tastes go-" he defended himself, but the fork was shoved into his mouth, before he could finish his sentence.  _Ah,_ there it was again- Steven's subliminal dominance. Did the gem see himself, what he did to his boyfriend? Happily, Steven retreated and ate the rest of his breakfast, while Lars munched on the little bit he was given. It tasted alright. It was far too sweet for his liking- he couldn't  _stand_ baked goods anymore, after having worked at the Big Donut for years. He saw his father looking at him in mild shock and averted his eyes fast. Suddenly, his phone rang and he pulled it out of his coat's pocket.

Kevin? Oh stars, what did he want? He answered the phone and was immediately shouted at "Barriga! What have you done, you idiot?!" His parents and Steven had surely heard it as loud as it was.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Ugh- Please don't tell me the drug made you get amnesia- Have you perhaps been on social media lately? Someone took  _pictures_ of us! Everyone is talking about it!" Kevin hissed at him.

Lars whined "W-What kind of pictures...?" Also, had Kevin roofied him? How would he know otherwise? What was he saying-  _of course it had been Kevin_.

"Of us making out, you idiot! This is all  _your_ fault! This will destroy my reputation!" the older boy went on ranting.

"My fault?  _You drugged me_! In how far am I to blame for anything? Also, who cares about some stupid pictures. Everyone will forget about it in a week anyway," he shouted at the phone, making everyone stare on in shock.

"Don't pretend, that you didn't want to! You were the one coming to  _me_! And no, no one will forget! The internet  _never forgets_ , Lars!" he was accused. 

"And what if? We can't change it now, anyway.  _Calm down_. Then we'll just tell everyone, we were drunk and that's it. It's not like it is the  _first time_ , Kevin. Exactly the same thing happened before and we lived. It was a mistake; people will understand!" he groaned. Really, a year ago or so, he had tried to drown out his worries with Kevin already. 

"... You know what,  _fuck you_! And because you apparently don't remember: don't visit me again! I don't want to have you in my bed again and behave like someone, who is mentally insane. Seriously, do you even know, what you did? You were leading me on all evening, wanting to get into my pants and right in the middle of _fucking you_ , you began crying.  Just  _fuck_ that stupid child already, so I don't have to live through this over and over! You  _fucking-",_ Kevin went on to scream at Lars. They had gone that far? He had assumed it by seeing his bruises, but... he didn't want to believe it. 

Enraged, Steven pulled the phone out of Lars' hands, meeting little resistance. "How dare you say that to him? You are the one, who always flirts with Lars, when he's vulnerable! If you didn't, he would not have come to you! Now,  _leave us alone_! This is  _your fault_! And just to inform you; Lars is  _my boyfriend_ now. So you don't have to worry about him coming to you-  **Bye**!" he insulted the teen as well. Afterwards, he handed the phone back to Lars, who simply hung up.

Quickly, Lars opened his social media app, searching for the photo. He found it instantly- it was the top liked thing! "It's not  _that_ bad. Really, I've seen worse pics of him," he added matter-o-factly. It showed the two of them kissing- they weren't even full on making out. 

Dante was beyond confused "Laramie- how can you be alright with this? He  _roofied_ and raped you- we need to call the police!"

"He didn't rape me, dad. We know each other fairly well and-  _we did this before_. He didn't really do anything, I wasn't into. It's my fault, at least to a certain degree. But yeah, he also messed up. Don't worry about it, too much. I am actually quite happy it was him, who drugged me. It could have been way worse." Lars added. 

"Lars, you know, you are hurting Steven again, don't you?" Greg asked. He couldn't just sleep with someone else and be with his son at the same time!

"Dad-  _it's alright_. We already discussed this more or less. None of this is really  _news_ to me. Lars  _fucked up_ , yes. Still, I love him and I know, he won't do it again. Also, you shouldn't say things like that! You know very well, that  _mom_ and Pearl had a thing as well and you still loved her," Steven reminded him. When had his son become so sharp? And his language- Lars wasn't good influence. 

Silently, Lars thanked him, before kissing him onto the cheek. He had another idea! He pulled out his phone, activating his camera. "Kiss me Steven~ We might be able to safe poor Kevin's and my reputation, yet!" he more or less explained. While doing as told, he snapped a selfie and posted it to his account. 

"...Honey, in how far is this supposed to help anyone?" his mom asked. Was her son still intoxicated? 

"Everyone will see now, that me and Steven are an item and so it will be more believable, that Kevin and I were only drunk! And also, I just kinda wanted everyone to know anyway." the zombie admitted. 

~~

Later, the two had vanished into Lars' room, finally getting some privacy again. "So, you want  _everyone_ to know, I'm yours?" Steven laughed at him, while encircling his waist. 

Lars' pink hue deepened, while he said " Yes...Was that not okay?"

"Are you kidding? I love it! I thought, you would keep this secret for a while...," Steven admitted. He went on to explain, when Lars cocked his head "I  _know_ , that I'm young or at least look the part and that it might embarrass you to be seen with me."

Lars made them sway a little from side to side, dancing a bit. He promised "You aren't embarrassing me. I'm very proud to have you as my boyfriend. After all, you are an intergalactic emperor and one of the best people I know!"

"And you are my queen!" the diamond giggled.

"Why do I have to be the queen? I want to be an emperor or king, as well!" Lars pouted. Even if he was quite  _submissive,_ he did not want to be made into a girl! Steven made him shut up however by kissing him again. The pirate let his hands roam for a while. He didn't have any  _motives_ , really. He wouldn't take advantage of his boyfriend. Steven had other plans, though. He was really excited to go  _further_. He let his hand slide under his zombie's shirt, rubbing along his stomach. Before it got out of hand, Lars stopped him. "What are you doing?" he wanted to know.

"Uuh... I thought, you'd want to do  _more_ than just kissing." Steven blushed.

" _Steven_. You don't have to do this for my sake. It's alright, if we wait another year or two. I'll live! I am not embarrassed of you being this young, but I can't sleep with you like this. Love, you are 14 and I'm almost 18. I would just feel as if I was abusing you." Lars smiled assuringly at his diamond. He didn't want Steven to feel pressured.

The diamond grunted "You aren't  _abusing_ me. I want this as well and I'm not just doing it for you."

"Love, do you even know, what we would do? I don't want to offend you, but I doubt it. I just can't believe, you would know  _anything_. You are way too innocent!" the zombie awkwardly laughed. 

 _He felt offended_. "I'm not a child! I know of what we would do! And even if I didn't, you could show me! You obviously know, how it works..." he growled. He had done  _extensive research_ on the matter. Others just didn't give him enough credit...

How would he best say this, without sounding weird? "Yes, I know, but... Ugh, I don't like  _topping_ , if you get, what I mean.  I just can't do it, especially not with you," he confessed. He really didn't. 

"Well, I didn't want to be overpowered by you, anyway! I'm not attractive enough, aren't I? That's why you don't want to!" Steven accused him. Lars hadn't seriously expected, the diamond would let himself be  _dominated_ , had he? It wasn't really part of his nature. So, he must have been hiding the real reason! He had slept with Kevin, who was far better-looking than himself... 

"I-It's not that, I told you! You are handsome, you are just too  _young_! I can't...," the older boy whimpered. This was wrong on so many levels! Why wouldn't Steven just accept it and wait? The diamond suddenly shapeshifted in his grip, becoming a bit taller than him. He looked more like a teen now, as well. Lars squeaked in shock and stumbled backwards- a warning would have been nice! He caught himself, when he hit the wall. "Steven! Shapeshifting isn't the answer to everything- this doesn't make you older at all!" he pointed out in anger. Well, the diamond looked older... but he was still 14! 

Dangerously, the younger boy approached him. He had intentionally made himself taller than his boyfriend. If one didn't know, one would assume Steven was the older boy now. "Lars, I don't want to  _wait_ until I'm older. The diamonds will definitely come before that and attack us.  Just ignore it, ok?" he assured his friend, before invading his personal space to make out with him. Lars should be grateful, that he had changed his form! He pressed the zombie further into the wall, effectively trapping him. He held his waist and Lars' hands came up to fist the front of his shirt. 

Between kisses, Lars brought out an "I hate you!", at which the diamond could only chuckle in amusement. He felt a hardness pressing into him, demanding attention. Roughly he pushed one of his legs between Lars', rubbing against it and making the older boy moan weakly. "Steven, we can't...," he reminded.

"Yes, we can! Relax...," the diamond cooed at him. He let his hands wander upwards to Lars' coat, undoing the four buttons securing it. When it fell to the floor, the zombie began tensing more. While showering him with little pecks, the younger boy told him "It's alright. You aren't taking advantage of me- if at all, it's the other way around.  _I want this_. And if I wanted to, I could force you and you would have no chance of escaping it. So, you  _totally_ are not in any position to force _me_. Lars, I'm not a child or as innocent as you might think. It's okay..."

Perhaps, he was right. He doubted, that he could abuse Steven. The diamond was far stronger and he still had this weird power over him as well. So finally, he gave in completely and became docile. "Okay...," he whispered. As thanks, the diamond kissed him yet again, demanding entrance with his tongue. They hadn't done that before, but the zombie dug it and let him do it. Really, where did Steven know all that stuff from? Even if he was naturally more dominant, he shouldn't automatically know, which buttons to press with him. Lars guessed, fusing with Steven had allowed the diamond to gain some insight into his personality. He had seen some stuff, as well. For example he knew now, that Steven was rather jealous and possessive. His child-like demeanor had been an illusion, he assumed. Deep down, Steven was far from a child. He should have known! When he sacrificed himself for them, it had been so plain obvious... He was stopped in his train of thoughts, when a hand was pushed into his pants, rubbing against him. He began mewling, while gripping at Steven's shoulders helplessly. 

"Look at you, so hard already and you wanted to stop!" the diamond chuckled evilly. "How about we take this somewhere more comfy than the wall? You surely want me to go on, don't you?" he went on to whisper seductively. 

"Yes,  _daddy_ -," he whimpered. That's it. Lars had officially lost the last remaining piece of his dignity. But who could blame him, when he had a hand down his pants attached to a  _very handsome_ guy? The diamond exactly fit, what he deemed attractive. He must have read his mind, or something! He looked rather bear-y, being so tall and broad. The gem let go of him for a short while. Before Lars went to his bed, though, he made sure his door was locked. He did **not** want to have their parents storming in, while he was sleeping with his diamond. The poor guys would be scarred for life anyway- the kitchen was directly below his room. If they had stayed there and the couple was too loud, they would hear...

When the zombie approached him again, he could not contain himself anymore. He was so excited to do this! He had mild anxiety to do something wrong, though. Still, he had  _dreamed_ of it for so long... Hungrily, he pulled at the pirate's shirt, making him take it of. Next came his trousers, after which the younger boy pushed him onto the bed. He undressed himself as fast as possible and crawled over his boyfriend. The latter had started running his hands down his waist and caressing his gem. It was still turned; he hadn't bothered to make it look like a Rose Quartz again. Perhaps, he would never do that. Having his gem touched didn't do much in terms of pleasure. It only made him happy, that he had someone, he could trust so much. His zombie only had to pull a bit... However, the hands on him began to wander again, while he had began sucking on Lars' neck. Lars was palming him through his underwear, stroking up and down a little. It made him grind against the offered hand.

After having sucked three hickeys into Lars' neck, he began pulling down his boxers. What he saw then, he did totally  **not** like. "Ugh, I'm going to kill Kevin," he groaned. The zombie's hips were discolored- lots of dark pink bruises could be seen. Ignoring the other boy's dick for now, he kissed away the bruises. He didn't want to see those. Also, then he could make  _new ones_. His boyfriend grunted at that amusedly. He stopped however, when the diamond began jerking him off. Absently, he opened one of his nightstands, fishing around in it. He then proceeded to throw lube at his crush. They  _could_ use Steven's healing spit, but this would be a little less dirty. 

When Steven didn't go on as expected, he became rather impatient. "Ugh- don't just do  _this_. Go on~," he moaned. 

"Hm, maybe you should ask a bit nicer...  _I don't like your tone_. Or did you forget, just who you are talking to?" the diamond teased, stopping his movements all together and  _squeezing_. 

He began whimpering at being squished like that and begged "I'm sorry!  _Please_ , my diamond...  _fuck me_ ~."

The diamond let go of Lars, being a merciful ruler. He lubed up his fingers, forcing one into his friend and beginning to stretch him. He didn't intend on torturing his poor little boyfriend, but teasing was a must. The reactions he got were just too sweet. When he had first fallen in love with Lars, he would have never guessed, that his feelings would be returned like this. Also, he would have never assumed, Lars would be this  _submissive_. Between moans, Lars begged him for more again and again- Steven had found his prostate  a while ago and was now massaging it. He was really grateful he lived in a time, where the internet existed. Without it, he would have never known how to do any of this. This would have been really awkward. Also, having fused with his zombie, he had learned a lot of useful info about him. One couldn't just invade their partner's mind, of course. But Lars had been pretty open to it subconsciously and one didn't have to ask the diamond twice, so he just did it. 

After a while, he deemed Lars' hole to be stretched enough. If he would be hurt a little, it wouldn't be that bad anyway. He turned his boyfriend around with his diamond-strength and positioned himself behind him. He jerked him off to comfort him, while he entered. The zombie began sharply breathing in and out- he was in pain. Normally, he abstained from simulating breathing in the diamond's company, he had observed. So he must have been. He waited a while, unmoving, until the zombie had stopped his panicked breathing again. Then, he started slowly driving in and out of him, making him mewl sweetly. 

" _Please_! Go harder, daddy!" Lars began begging after some time and he obliged. Lars was almost positive, his parents could hear every last bit of it, but this would be their punishment for trying to divide them! He just prayed, Steven wouldn't tease him endlessly for his little  _kink_. He still had to find out any of Steven's, but he hadn't shown any.  Well, perhaps he was too  _young_ for that. Guilt arose in his unbeating heart again, but was quickly forgotten, when Steven hit his special spot. He gripped at his sheets, not having anything else. He wouldn't be able to  _walk_ after this. The diamond's pace was brutal and he was  _inhumanly_ strong as well. 

By Lars' moaning, Steven could tell he was close. But being at least a little sadistic, he prevented it by squeezing him again. The zombie did a sound akin to a high pitched scream at that. But Steven exclaimed "You didn't think, I would let you go unpunished for sleeping with Kevin, did you?" 

Lars became wide-eyed. Would he just deny him release forever?  He had thought, Steven was over that! But knowing his secret jealous side, he probably should have anticipated it. The diamond was hitting his prostate with every thrust- his need to come was unbearable. "N-No! Please, let me come! I-I'm sorry!" he begged, as if he was going to die. He tried to pry Steven's hands of, but the latter's other arm came up and secured his arms above his head, pressing him more into the mattress.

"Why should I? What would  _I_ gain from it? I can fill you up nicely and without you coming. And I could do this over  _and over_ again. Cheating on me is pretty unforgivable...," he pretended to be angry. Really, he didn't care much. They hadn't been together, when it happened. Of course, he was a bit jealous to not be Lars' first, but it wasn't too bad. He only wanted to hear the zombie's frustrated moans and see him crying a bit.

Steven was a sadist! He tried his best to convince the other "No, please don't! I-I'll do anything!"

"Anything, hm? So if I'd ask you to be mine  _forever_ , you'd say yes?" he whispered into the pirate's ear. 

"Yes, my diamond!" he cried. Tears were streaming down his face; he couldn't take it anymore! It hurt too much. He'd agree to anything right now.

" _Good boy,_ " the diamond only whispered back, letting his grip loosen. Instead, he began jerking Lars off again. In a few strokes, he released and Steven filled him up shortly after. He collapsed on top of his pink friend and rolled them to the side after pulling out. Lars turned towards him, hugging his waist again. In return, the diamond also pulled him close and nuzzled at his hair. 

"You're pretty cruel, you know?" the commander whispered, still sniffling a bit from having cried. He couldn't lie; it had been kind of  _hot._ Still, everything  _hurt_. When he glanced down at himself, he saw almost handprint-shaped bruises at his hips and also a few more at his waist. His wrists were also bruised from being held. Steven really hadn't been soft with him. 

"Come on,  _you love it_. And teasing you is fun. There's no escape for you now anyway, you are  _mine_ ," he threatened. Lars had agreed to his  _proposal_.

"No escape? Isn't that a bit  _overexaggerated_?" he giggled.

The diamond kissed him passionately, letting his tongue slip into Lars again. "No, it isn't.  _No divorce possible_. You have to stay with me now~," he explained afterwards.

"D-Divorce? But we aren't even married!" Lars pointed out in shock.

Steven sounded like he was purring almost, as he began caressing Lars lazily. He disagreed "As far as I'm concerned, we are. You know, I can  _wed_ people- I will do  so for Sapphire and Ruby! And you agreed to be mine forever, so you are my husband now!" While saying that, Steven allowed himself to shrink to his usual form again. There was no need to stay old.

The zombie stared at him bewildered. "But we didn't even have a real ceremony! A-and no rings, either! Steven, that wasn't a real wedding!" he shook his head, while pushing himself away a bit.

Ouch. "You don't want to marry me? But if you love me, you should!" the diamond noted sadly. Well, perhaps he should have asked Lars, when he didn't have his dick  _in him_. Not his brightest decision. Still, the zombie did not react as planned. If he really loved the diamond, he wouldn't be behaving so negatively. Maybe he really did fancy Kevin...

Oh. His boyfriend and  _apparently husband_ now, looked rather hurt. But really, he couldn't take anything seriously, Lars said while being  _fucked_! When he saw a tear forming itself in one of Steven's eyes, he felt pretty horrible, though.  _Damn it_. "N-No! Of course I love you and I want to, uh,  _be your husband_. It's just... a  _real_ proposal would be nice and not one, where you  _extort_ me!" he rescued the situation. Okay, he didn't want to get married originally, but he couldn't make the diamond sad ~~~~~~again~~. So, wedding it was...

"Really?" the diamond beamed at him, hugging him tight. If he were human, he would surely have suffocated. 

"Y-Yeah," he agreed. Stars, what had he gotten himself into this time?  _His parents would kill him_. No seriously, this time he was done for! 

 

 

 


	8. A Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars had to agree to a wedding, so he wouldn't upset his boyfriend again.

What had he done?! Currently, the couple was showering together, Steven happily dancing around. Lars was trying to look happy as well, but inside he wasn't. He had more or less agreed to marry Steven, if he proposed for real again! He didn't want to marry! He loved his boyfriend dearly, but they had only been together for one day... It was far too early. What would his parents say? And knowing his diamond, the proposal and wedding would be  _grand_. It was nothing, they would be able to hide. But he couldn't tell him no, as it would breake his heart! He couldn't loose his Pink Diamond.

"This will be awesome!" Steven exclaimed in joy. He stepped out of the shower and dried himself, before dressing.

"Yeah... but you'll kinda have to ask my parents for permission first," the pirate pointed out. Even if their wedding wasn't extremely official, _they_ _were_ _too_ _young_ _after_ _all_ , he had to follow some  _traditions_.  Perhaps Lars would be lucky and his parents would say no? Then, he had an easy way out of this... at least for a while.

"Why me? You can ask!" Steven looked at him in denial.

"Because, that's how it works! The groom has to ask the  _brides_  parent's first. And if one of us here is the bride,  _it's clearly me_. Also, I normally wouldn't know of your proposal beforehand. So, you have to do it!" Laramie explained to him. Like hell he would ask his parents, whether he could marry Steven! He didn't want to die again. He dressed himself. Also, it hadn't been  _his idea_ to marry! 

He was right... "But they'll never agree!" Steven whined. He only wanted Lars to be his! 

The zombie shrugged "That's your problem. You want to marry me; you'll have to work for it!"

"But you want to marry me, as well!" Steven pouted.

"Yes, but I could have waited a few years, as well. So either, you do it or we'll wait like fifty years until our parents die.  _Your choice,"_ he let slip. Okay,  _if_ Steven could really convince his parents of it, he might be glad to marry him. Then he might also ignore the fact, that this was going extremely fast. But he surely would not, if it involved fighting with his parents. 

The diamond shook his head "No, I want them to be there as well! I'll do it! Just give me a bit of time. You know what? You stay up here and I'll go down and talk to them. If I don't come back,  _assume the worst_. I love you!" With that, he  kissed him and left the room like a warrior going to battle. 

This would never work! The pirate mentally prepared himself for his mate to  _die_. His parents would assume, he was crazy! Lars went back to his bedroom and lay on his bed. Steven had traded in his usual shirt for one of his hoodies again and now his shirt was lying on his bed. He took it and hugged it for comfort-  _he was so pathetic_! What if his parents threw Steven out for good? They weren't fused now, they could do it!

What was wrong with him...? He hadn't wanted to marry before, but now he kind of wanted to! He hadn't wanted to sleep with Steven either and had done it! He didn't know, what he wanted. This was all far too much for him. He had a plethora of problems and new ones came daily. The only thing he could do now, was wait. He was far too overwhelmed...

~~

He felt like his heart would  _explode_ any second now. He wanted to make Lars _his_ as fast as possible, but he didn't like speaking to his parents.  _He didn't have time for this_. He didn't want to die at the diamonds' hands, before having experienced everything life had to offer. Why couldn't Lars just have accepted their marriage? It would have been far easier. Now, he had to  _propose_ , plan another wedding and convince their parents.

He went to the kitchen, searching for the others. They were sitting there and looked at him quite...  _embarrassed_. Was something wrong? "Uh...Hi," he said, before sitting down across from them.

No one knew how to start. They had  _heard everything_. All the moans, pleas and thrusting. In their shock, they had not even been able to escape the kitchen. 

"...Guys? What's wrong?" Steven asked. Did they know something, he did not? When they still didn't answer, he just went on with what he had came for. "So... I know this might come a bit fast, but, uh...  _I want to marry Lars_. H-He said though, that he wanted your permission first. A-And that's, why I am here- to ask for your permission... Uh, what do you guys say?" he rambled. He should have prepared, what he wanted to say perhaps. 

Dante tried to start speaking several times, but closed his mouth again and again. He looked like some kind of fish on land, suffocating slowly. Finally though, he gained back his composure and exclaimed "Y-You want to  **marry my son**?! I don't even- You are  _14_! It's horrible enough, that you guys apparently just had sex-!" 

Oh, so that's why they looked so weirdly at him. "...You  _heard_? Oh stars- u-uh, I'm sorry!" he stammered in utter shame. Why hadn't his boyfriend _warned_ him? He would have  _subdued_ the other, had he known.

Greg laughed and shook his head "It's alright. I  _somehow_ guessed, this would happen sooner or later.  _My little man grew up_! But uh, you really rush things my friend. You have been together  _one day_! You can't marry him already! I know, that you love him and all, but you are taking it too far. You know, take Garnet as an example. They have been together for thousands of years and they are just marrying  _now_. I don't think, you thought this through." He wasn't too phased by his son sleeping with Lars. It was part of growing up. Stars, some teens were already pregnant at his age! It could have been worse.

"Greg, this isn't alright! I can't believe my son took advantage of Steven like that! He's still so irresponsible- first the party, now this! And Steven, little one, you can't be serious. Whatever Lars told you about wanting to marry-  _ignore it_! We'll punish him for that. How could he-," Mrs. Barriga began blaming her son. Clearly, he was messing with poor Steven's head.

Steven snorted, not being able to contain himself "Lars influencing and taking advantage of  _me_? If at all, it's the other way around! Mrs. Barriga,  _I'm a diamond_ and by all means, Lars is already  _mine_. When I revived him, it automatically forced him into my rule. If I wanted to, I could order him around and he would follow. But don't worry, I would never do that.  Also, Lars isn't exactly the  _dominant_ one in our relationship and I was the one to propose marrying. You've got it all wrong! Lars is innocent here." It was time to change other's perception of him! 

"What do you mean, he isn't the  _dominant one_?" Dante asked, at which Greg groaned in dismay.

"...How do I best explain this? Lars declared himself the  _bride_ for example. That's why  _I_ am down here and asking for your permission. Then there is the whole diamond-thing, making me naturally want to overpower him and-," Steven began explaining.

However, Greg interrupted his son and said "Dante, your son is the bottom-  _the girl_ , so to say. You know?  _He's on the receiving end_." Why did he have to explain this to another grown man? At least to him, it had been a bit obvious, that Lars would take on that role. 

"Oh," he simply stated. So Universe was...? Oh stars. 

Mrs. Barriga continued "Still, you can't marry him! You are both too young and you have only been together for  _a day_! No way, I'm agreeing to this!"

"I said this before:  _We don't have time_. The diamonds intend to eradicate us and might do so every minute now. We want to do all of this this fast, because we might not experience this otherwise. I don't want to die, without having married him! And the chances for dying are  _really_ high," he pressured them. Well, perhaps they weren't  _that_ high, but whatever. The danger was still there.

She frowned "Do only  _you_ want this or he as well? You know what? I think, we should speak to him first and then decide. Steven, you stay here."

~~

It knocked on his door and he knew, it wasn't his diamond. The latter wouldn't knock, after all. He gave permission to enter and sat up, still holding Steven's shirt for support. This could not be a good sign. They would surely tell him now, that they had made Steven go away. Their three parents entered, but no diamond was to be seen. They closed the door and walked up to him.

"D-Did you throw him out?" Lars whimpered. They had to have done it!

" _Not yet_ , honey. We want to talk to you about this. Do you  _really_ want to marry him?" his mom asked.

He nodded slowly. He had come to the conclusion, that he wanted to. "Y-Yes. I was a bit uncertain before, but now I want to. I love him a lot and I don't want to loose him," he confessed to them.

Why was his son holding that shirt? It didn't matter now. "And whose idea was it to marry? Also, how could you sleep with him?" he tested his son.

Lars blushed and averted his eyes "I didn't want to do so at first, but h-he convinced me. I thought he was too young and stuff, but he proved, that he was quite  _mature_. It was his idea to marry as well." They must have really heard them. Well, it suited them right for trying to punish them. Hopefully, it had scarred them for life. 

So Universe hadn't lied then, that's something at least. Should they give their consent? They wouldn't  _really_ marry. They couldn't, when Steven was only 14. But still,  _it counted_. Dante asked more questions "And he doesn't force you into this? Seemed pretty fishy, when he told us of you already _belonging_ to him."

"No, he doesn't. I want to do  this, dad. A-And yes, he owns me in gem-terms. But it's alright. I want to be his anyway and I trust him, that he won't abuse it." Lars added. He really didn't care much. In the beginning it had unsettled him quite a bit, but Steven had given him no reason to worry as of yet.

Greg stepped forward then. "You understand, that you'll get quite a lot of responsibility from that, yes? You have to protect him. Also, you will make yourself more vulnerable. If someone wants to extort or hurt him, they'll go after you," he warned. 

"I know. But if I die, it won't matter anyway. As long as Steven is there, death means nothing to me," Barriga pointed out. It really did not. Dying wasn't a nice thing to do, but it wasn't permanent. He watched the three looking at each other. They would probably decide now, as there was nothing else to discuss. 

Dante looked at his wife, who nodded at him. He then stated "We are okay with it." 

"Y-You really are? I would have never guessed, you would!" the zombie exclaimed. Lars jumped up and hugged his parents and Greg, thanking them. This would make Steven so happy!

" **BUT** : You'll still live in our house, do what we say and Steven can't be here every day of the week. Also, no alcohol and no parties for you for the next six months!" his dad intervened. Lars didn't care  _much_ about _the last part_. It would be hard though, to not have the diamond around every day! He didn't want to test his luck however and agreed. 

After they had settled this, they went downstairs together. Steven was sitting in the kitchen worrying.  When he saw everyone approaching, his heart almost stopped beating. Was this a good or bad sign? "A-And?" he stuttered.  Lars stepped further into the room, letting their parents alone. He smiled and nodded, at which the diamond happily ran up to him. He wanted to hug him at first, but then he remembered, that he had to propose for real now! He didn't have a ring, but he didn't care. Corny as ever, he knelt down despite his rank, held Lars' hand and asked "Will you marry me, then?". 

"Of course I will, you moron! What kind of question is that?" the zombie mocked jokingly. The diamond quickly jumped up then and pulled his  _fiance_  into a kiss.

~~

The days leading up to their wedding were pure  _agony_. Their's was one day before Garnet's. They had agreed to return to their own homes and only meet at the wedding again- which was in three days. Steven had convinced his intended, that this was _romantic_. They were quite under time pressure, because of the diamonds, but could not do it even earlier. There had to be at least some form of preparation.

Lars wasn't coping well with it. He mainly lay in his bed and sometimes whined to his mom, that he missed Steven. He had kept one of the t-shirts of the diamond- well, perhaps he had  _stolen it._ And now, he cuddled with it as some sort of substitute. His phone was constantly ringing, as lots of people wanted to ask him stuff. He just ignored it. Because every citizen was a friend of Steven's, they had invited almost  _the whole town_ to the event. Their wedding would be gigantic and it scared him a bit. He hoped, he wouldn't mess up. 

Steven wasn't doing much better. He was really stressed out, because he had to plan two weddings at once and an emergency plan, if they were attacked. The others helped him, but it was still a lot. 

Right now, it was the evening before the wedding. Lars was sitting in their living room, staring into nothingness. His parents had demanded, that he left his room. His mom and dad had become really concerned, when he had lain in his bed in one spot, unmoving and unbreathing for two days straight. His mom came over to him and patted his back. It extremely unsettled her, how corpse-like her son behaved. "Honey, are you feeling alright?" she asked.

"I'm just a little stressed, that's all," he muttered.  _A little_ , right...

"That's normal. Before our wedding, I couldn't eat or sleep  _for days_. But don't you think, your behavior is a bit... _extreme_? It seems, like you aren't able to function properly without your, uh  _fiance_. This isn't healthy, you know?" she carefully expressed her feelings. 

"I-It's alright mom. If I'm nervous, I sometimes forget to breathe o-or move. That's almost the same as not eating or sleeping under pressure," he assured her. 

His dad laughed "You shouldn't worry so much, son. Steven seems to be quite the wedding-planner, it'll be nice. You don't even have to do much. Just walk up there and say something romantic, that's all."

"S-Sure," he agreed. 

His mom frowned "There's something, you aren't telling us, sweetie. You can tell us everything, though! We promise, we won't be get mad. Are you regretting your decision?" She could understand him being scared  _a bit_ , but this was ridiculous! 

One couldn't really call it  _regret_. But a few things had come to mind, that he should have thought through more. "I want to marry him, i-it's just...  _I'm scared_. It would be bad enough, if Steven were just a human. But he is not. He is an emperor from outer space! This is bigger than marrying the  _fucking_ Queen of England! A-And what does that make me?  I'm just  _a peasant... or even worse,_ a slave! I'm scared, that if he goes to Homeworld, we can't stay together. If they don't even allow cross-fusion, why would they approve of- of  _this_?! I'm done for!" he whined dramatically, hiding himself in his hands.

His mom didn't get everything of what he was talking about. "Laramie, I'm sure you'll be okay. Also, if you marry an emperor, you should become one as well! And I don't think, Steven will go to that other planet," she calmed him down.

"I don't know, mom. No one knows, what will happen and it  _kills me_ ," he went on to say.

"Son, I'm sure you are only overreacting. Don't worry, tomorrow everything will look better. Just wait until your, uuh,  _honeymoon_. Aren't you happy at all?" his father asked him. He was happy. How could he not? So he nodded in agreement. "Also, you will look really handsome! And we'll be so proud of you! We only want you to be happy. All of this is perhaps quite rushed and imperfect, but it will be nice, anyway!" he added. 

He nodded again and his mother embraced him. He probably did overreact. Steven would never betray him and how unlucky could they be? Tomorrow would be great; it would be their special day, where  _nothing_ went wrong. 

~~The Wedding~~

Steven walked up and down his living room. He already had his black tux on and he wore a pink bow. He didn't want to flaunt his identity around more than needed. Also, Lars would probably be pink enough. He and Lars would be wed by Greg . As he glanced outside now and again, he saw the seats there filling. Dozens of their friends were coming over and he felt so excited! He wondered, what Lars would wear. The diamond didn't think, he would wear a dress. He would probably wear a tux similar to his, perhaps in pink? He half wanted to ask Sapphire, but she had been forbidden to use her future-vision. If she did, she could have seen her own wedding after all!

Soon, he was taken outside by his dad and brought to the altar. He would wait there, while Lars would come to him. Had he been a Ruby, he would have surely set everything aflame in his nervousness. All of his friends were smiling at him, wishing him the best things. To many of them, the invitation had come out of nowhere. Some hadn't even known, Lars was already back. Others weren't surprised at all. Besides Sapphire, Connie had already guessed something similar would happen with the two. Either way, the majority was happy about them being together. Only Kevin and Sadie had seemed somewhat disturbed. Well, Pearl didn't know how to feel, it seemed. She was sad at loosing her diamond  _yet again_ , but was also glad for Steven. They would need to talk to their friends after the wedding, as they hadn't had time to do so before. He was quite excited to hear, what they thought in detail.

His train of thought was interrupted, when the music started. Now, there was no going back! There he was. Lars walked down the temple's stairs and towards them. He looked  _stunning_. The zombie didn't wear a tux as expected- and no  _dress_ either. He wore a white frock coat with pink buttons and other pink little details. Now, he looked like a modern sort of pirate, Steven noted. But it really did suit him well. What surprised Steven most however, were little _p_ _ink d_ _iamonds_  sewn onto the hem of the coat. It was only a small detail, but it meant a lot to him. It wouldn't draw too much attention, but anyone who knew of it, would recognize the symbol. He was proud of having Lars wear his colors. 

When Lars stood in front of him, he really had to contain himself, so he wouldn't just  _devour_ him. He didn't even really listen, to what his dad said. He only had eyes for Lars, who was holding his hands and smiling at him like mad. He felt his zombie's hands trembling slightly and he felt even colder than usual. He was pretty nervous, he guessed. 

His dad began "...as you know, we are here to celebrate the union of Steven, leader of the Crystal Gems and Lars, leader of the off-colors...." That really sounded more  _grand_ than it really was. They sadly could not use Steven's real title, as not everybody knew of it yet. "You may now exchange your vows," Greg said to them. What? Already? Perhaps Steven should have listened more.

Lars began. He wondered, if one could see his anxiety. His diamond probably knew by the trembling of his hands, because he squeezed them. He had worked so long on this- it had been the main reason, he had lain in his bed like a corpse. "Steven. Our relationship is far from being long and it has experienced  _many_ obstacles. We will most likely experience many more of these and our bond might end very soon, if we die. Still, I want to spend my life  _with you_ , regardless of how long that might be. It might be two more days or thousands of years, who knows? I will follow you anywhere- be it on earth or in space and I will protect you with everything I got," he promised. 

Steven began crying, but his tears were wiped away by his fiance. Afterwards, they held hands again. He began with his vow "Lars, you are one of the few people who  _really_ understands me. You never judge me for the  _type_ of gem I am; you only see me as  _Steven_. I too will protect you from any danger and if I ever fail, I will bring you back. I can't promise you, that your life will get any easier with me at your side. Still, nothing will ever get between us and our love." Hm, Lars' vow had been far  _cooler_ than his! But his fiance didn't seem to mind, as his grin had only widened. 

With having said their vows, they needed to exchange their rings next. Bismuth had also made two for them. Steven had to admit, it was a tad bit macabre. Due to his dad having become extremely rich, they could afford two  _pink diamonds_ to be integrated. They weren't  _alive_ , so it was somewhat okay. Still, it bugged him a bit, seeing  _his own kind_ like that. But only a bit. For the most part, he was excited to see Lars wear his gemstone. When they stuck on the rings, Greg exclaimed " Lars, do you take this young man as your husband and swear to protect him?"

"I do," he answered. There was no going back now...

"And Steven, do you take Lars as your husband and swear to protect him?" Mr. Universe asked again.

The diamond answered "I do!"

"Then, by the power invested in me by the state of Delmarva, I now pronounce you _husband and husband_!" Greg sealed the deal. He was quite proud of himself. He would have never guessed, that Steven would want  _him_ to do this. He had been scared to mess up before, but these worries had been for naught. 

Lars giggled, as Steven tucked at his coat and pulled him downwards into a kiss. This day was perfect! Next, Lars was pulled towards the dance-floor by Steven, as he still had to toss his bouquet. Typically, it mainly consisted of pink-ish roses. The zombie totally did not mind, that he was treated like a bride- it was kind of  _nice_ actually. When he tossed the flowers in the air, most of the girls started screaming and trying to catch it. However, it landed in Peridot's arms, after it had hit her head. She seemed quite startled at first, thinking, she had been attacked. But when Pearl whispered an explanation to her, she began blushing. 

As Steven had watched the bouquet flying in interest, he hadn't paid attention to his  _husband_ , who had crept up behind him. Lars tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention, which resulted in him taking a fighting stance. A bit taken aback, the zombie asked "Uh, are you already regretting your decision and want to kill me?"

"N-No! I'm just a bit stressed out, that's all. Planning two weddings, while waiting for an attack is hard. I'm sorry...," Steven admitted. Still, he was really happy, he could celebrate his wedding in peace. Or at least he hoped, he would. He stood normally again and hugged Lars exhaustedly. "Also, I couldn't sleep. You should be glad you don't have to struggle with that," he added.

Having missed his husband, he returned the hug. "It's okay. I was quite stressed as well; I think my parents hated you for it. I lay in bed for two days straight and played dead, while I  _thought_ about stuff," he told him. 

The diamond let go of him again and only held his hands, before pulling a bit at his coat. " I really love  _this_ , you know? Those pink diamonds look good on you," he cooed. 

"I knew you would love them. And they are subtle enough, I hope. But really, It was my  _dad's_ idea to do something like that. He said, it would make you happy, if I showed 'a symbol of your reign'. He's taking your rank pretty seriously, I think. Maybe I'll get him to do that diamond-bow... I think, it would be funny!" Lars giggled. "And I love your pink bow tie as well~," he added thoughtfully, while correcting the position of said item. 

The gem wanted to say something, but he was interrupted. Their three parents and Connie came over, wanting to congratulate them. The Barrigas more or less  _stormed_ towards their son, embracing him. "Honey, I'm so proud of you! I had a few doubts about this at first, but I think we made the right decision. You two look so cute and pretty together!" Mrs. Barriga squealed.

"Thanks, mom. I was really scared, you wouldn't approve... But I promise you, I'm content with my  _choice_ ," the zombie gratefully said and lay an arm around his diamond's waist. 

Connie added "Sorry, if this is a bit ill-timed, but could you two fuse? Many of us want to see Stars! Your parents told us of him and you know Steven, I  _adore_ fusions. Also, you kind of still have to do your official wedding's dance! That would be the perfect opportunity!" She was so excited- despite the drama that had surrounded the couple, she was quite glad for them. Also, now Steven would finally stop whining about his  _unrequited_  love to her! 

The diamond didn't mind at all. He too had anticipated the next opportunity to fuse. He  _loved_ Stars. He was just so... handsome, lovable and joyful! "Actually, I wanted to propose this as well. I just thought, some of you preferred us being like this for at least a while. But if you don't, we might as well do it! Right, Lars?" he exclaimed in happiness. 

"Fuse? But won't it uh...  _reveal_ your gem?", Lars pointed out. Not everyone knew and Steven's gem-family might react negatively to him having turned the diamond. 

"It'll be fine! I don't really intend on keeping it secret any longer and most people might not even notice," he assured his husband. He took his right hand, kissing it and asking "And? Will you fuse with me?", before letting it go again. 

"Of course I will,  _my diamond,"_ the zombie-pirate pronounced, while doing the diamond-bow as a joke. Steven laughed at him and pulled him downwards to kiss him for that, before dragging him off to dance. 

Perplexed, Dante asked the others "What was that gesture? I hope it was nothing inappropriate, you teenagers do today..."

Connie shook her head "No, it's a gem-thing. I've not seen it that often, but I think they do it to salute the diamonds. I guess, Lars didn't really mean it, though." With that cleared up, they turned their attention towards the couple, which already had begun their dance. It was a normal wedding dance, nothing too modern. Steven seemed to be leading, while Lars followed. Some of the townies seemed surprised at that, others were not. Gracefully, Steven spun around his husband, before fusing into Stars. This time, he looked a bit different. His outfit incorporated way more white colors than before, due to Lars having changed his. 

He was quite happy to _be_ again! Also, the occasion was just perfect. He just _loved himself_ and so he hugged himself with his four arms. Being accustomed to these magical things happening, most citizens didn't even flinch. They just clapped and returned to their conversations. Still, at least the Crystal Gems and off-colors were quite surprised- after all, this was  _a new person_! Naturally, they approached to greet him. Stars was quite happy, Steven had already told the new gems of his identity; this would have become really weird otherwise.

Either way, they were quite in awe.  Fluorite noted "Well hello there! Don't you just look like a real diamond, hm?" Stars really did. Because Lars' had no gem and possessed a pink color-scheme, it was pretty unnoticeable, that this was a fusion. If one didn't know, one wouldn't be able to tell. 

Excitedly, Stars shook a few of her arms and also those of others "Hey! I guess, I do~! Did you like my wedding?"

The gems nodded in approval. Interested, Pearl touched his arm a bit. Stars really just felt like a gem would. He wasn't warm like Stevonnie; he was  _cold_. Even as Pink Diamond's Pearl, she could almost not tell the difference. Perhaps this would come in handy someday... Also, she saw another few details about him "Wow, you really put your identity out there- don't you think, it's a little  _risky_?" Everything about him  _screamed_ Pink Diamond. Their rings, his turned gem, the little diamond's sewn onto his clothes...

"Oh... _Yeah_. It might be a bit much, fused like this. But really, who cares? There is no use hiding it anymore. Steven has more or less coped with it by now, thanks to Lars. His vacation really  _did_ help in the end! I think,  _and I should know_ , Steven has somewhat embraced it. Isn't that awesome? Now, everything is perfect~!" Stars explained to her.

He felt, like nothing could go wrong anymore!

This day and the one after it, would forever stay in his mind as a positive memory! 

He couldn't wait for Garnet's wedding tomorrow-  _it could only get even better_! 

Of course, no one could know, what would await them the next day. 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a happy fanfic!


End file.
